97
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$98.0M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Cuyahoga County, Ohio: 97 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #177 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Cuyahoga County, Ohio: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Cuyahoga County is the 2020s, when 37 of the county's 97 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Cuyahoga County archive, flash flood makes up 9.2% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #177 for this hazard and #3 within Ohio, putting it in the 94.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for flash flood in Cuyahoga County with 20 recorded events, while Nov is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 2025 | SOLON | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | NORTH OLMSTED | 0 | $750K |
| Aug 24, 2023 | BEDFORD | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EAGLE CLIFF | 0 | $750K |
| Aug 24, 2023 | (CGF)CUYAHOGA CO ARP | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 25, 2023 | BENTLEYVILLE | 0 | $75K |
| Jul 21, 2023 | SHORT LINE JCT | 0 | $100K |
| Jul 21, 2023 | (CLE)HOPKINS INTL AR | 0 | $350K |
| Jul 20, 2023 | SHAKER HGTS | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 20, 2023 | WESTLAKE | 0 | $3.5M |
Other hazards here
More from Cuyahoga County
- Thunderstorm Wind 597
- Hail 297
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Between 800 and 1000 pm on the evening of May 12th rainfall observations in Olmsted Falls show 2.5-4.44 inches of rain. The rainfall rates were measured at 2.52 inches per hour. A dozen water rescues were conducted however no significant injuries were reported. In all nearly 1,000 homes were inundated in the towns of Olmsted Falls, North Olmsted, and Westlake. The City Hall in Olmsted Falls sustained significant flood damage to their basement. At the Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted 15 cars were submerged and a department store sustained significant damage. Dozens of roads and intersections were closed due to flooding with several feet of water. The major thruway Interstate 480 was closed around 1019 PM. Lewis Road in Olmsted Falls was damaged due to embankment failures.
Flash flooding across the western suburbs of Cleveland, including Bay Village, North Olmsted, Fairview Park, Rocky River and Lakewood. Notable road closures due to flooding include I-90 East near McKinley Avenue and West 117th Avenue between Berea Road and Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, West 130th Street and Bellaire Road and West 150th Street north of Brookpark Road in Cleveland. Great Northern Avenue north of Brookpark Road was flooded with several feet of standing water in North Olmsted. Extensive basement flooding reported, including between 1 to 2 dozen basements in Bay Village and 175 basements in Fairview Park.
During the afternoon hours of the 2nd, a severe thunderstorms moved over downtown Cleveland. This thunderstorm remained nearly stationary over the downtown area for around an hour, and dropped as much as four and a half inches of rain. Several rainfall reports of 3.0 to 4.5 inches were received from downtown Cleveland. This rain fell in less than 90 minutes. Local streets and highways throughout the downtown area quickly filled with water. Many roads, including Interstate 90 were impassable by flood waters as much as four feet deep. Many vehicles became stranded in the flood waters. Once the rain ended, the high water receded quickly. This was a very local event in Cuyahoga County as the southern part of the county remained mainly dry. In fact, Cleveland Hopkins Airport did not receive any rainfall from this thunderstorm.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Cuyahoga County, Ohio?
97 flash flood events are recorded in Cuyahoga County between 1996 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Cuyahoga County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Cuyahoga County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Cuyahoga County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/cuyahoga-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.