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Van Wert County, Ohio severe weather history spans 354 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,463 nationally and #59 in Ohio.
354
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
28
Direct injuries
$36.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Van Wert County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Van Wert County, Ohio severe weather history averages 4.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 108 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 317 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Van Wert County, Ohio record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $34.7M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Van Wert County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 223 | 1 | $1.3M | 80 | 1962–2025 |
| Hail | 72 | 0 | $6K | 2.5 | 1974–2025 |
| Tornado | 42 | 2 | $34.7M | F4 | 1950–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $680K | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2008–2015 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $85K | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2020–2020 |
Decade by decade
Van Wert County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
40 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 36 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-11-10 | EF4 | 4 | 17 | 52.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 4 | 125 | 52.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-02-18 | EF4 | 0 | 6 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1950-07-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 15.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-08-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-11-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Van Wert County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 10, 2002 | Tornado | WILLSHIRE | 2 | 17 | $30.0M |
| Jul 20, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | OHIO CITY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 18, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Jan 3, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Emergency management officials reported a large tree fell onto a house and roof of a patio near the intersection of SR 118 and Hoffman St. An husband and wife were under the roof of the porch at the time and had to be rescued. The husband escaped with no injuries, but his 87 year old wife was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Several rounds of thunderstorms dropped anywhere from three to over six inches of rain onto already saturated ground in the southeastern part of the county. This caused extensive flooding, with several creeks, streams and ditches going over their banks. Jennings Creek overflowed its banks and surrounded a factory on the southwest side of Delphos, forcing employees to shelter in place with the only means of egress being a nearby train track. Several county roads were closed across the area, but no washouts were reported. Emergency management officials report that 12 homes and 3 businesses were impacted, with total damage of around $425,000.
Emergency Management officials reported that all bridges and most roads were closed in Hoaglin and Jackson townships as a result of flowing water over many roads as well as water approaching the bottom of bridges. Property damage is estimated at $250,000.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
28,826
Population (ACS)
$152K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 20, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Feb 15, 2005 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Van Wert County, Ohio?
354 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $36.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Van Wert County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 223 recorded events — 63.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Van Wert County?
40 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 36 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Van Wert County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Van Wert County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Van Wert County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Van Wert County as very low risk, placing it in the 20 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Van Wert County, Ohio severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Union County 274
- Vinton County 251
- Tuscarawas County 615
- Warren County 675
- Trumbull County 681
- Washington County 507
Cite this page
“Van Wert County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/van-wert-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.