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Ashtabula County, Ohio severe weather history spans 500 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #876 nationally and #26 in Ohio.
500
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
35
Direct injuries
$55.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Ashtabula County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ashtabula County, Ohio severe weather history averages 7.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 137 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 81 events fall before 1990 and 419 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ashtabula County, Ohio record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $25.6M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Ashtabula County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 315 | 2 | $5.0M | 75 | 1962–2026 |
| Hail | 107 | 0 | $325K | 1.75 | 1972–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 41 | 0 | $25.6M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $8.9M | F4 | 1956–2017 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $307K | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Waterspout | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2003 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $15.3M | 0 | 2011–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Ashtabula County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-05-31 | EF4 | 12 | 82 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-31 | EF3 | 0 | 30 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-11-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 15 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 33.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-07-24 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 16.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-07-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ashtabula County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 2 | 0 | $100K |
| May 31, 1985 | Tornado | 0 | 15 | $2.5M | |
| May 31, 1985 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 31, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 2 | $60K |
| Jul 3, 1999 | Lightning | LAKESHORE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 1985 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jul 24, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jul 14, 2005 | Lightning | GENEVA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Record Lake Erie water levels for February resulted in continued and exasperated lakeshore flooding and erosion. There were two storm events that brought lakeshore flooding to the western basin on the 5th and 6th, and the other on the 27th. In addition to these wind driven events, weakened shorelines showed signs of collapse and erosion throughout the month. Erosion was made worse by the lack of ice over the winter. Lake Erie reported only .4 percent of ice coverage compared to the average of 67 percent in mid February. The lack of ice supported increased wave runup, eroding away cliffs, washing out beaches and damaging shoreline infrastructure.||Of note, in Geneva on the Lake the Geneva Township Park lost 45 feet of land between the 3rd and 13th of the month. About 600 feet of the park���s 916 feet of lakefront was affected. Similar if less severe erosion occurred across all of Lake Erie lakeshore counties.
Lake Erie continued its seasonal rise from February to March, rising about 2 inches to a level of 573.98 feet. This level was a new record high monthly mean water level for March, surpassing its previous record set in 1986 by 3 inches. The March 2020 level was also 12 inches above the March 2019 level and 34 inches above its long term average level. Lack of lake ice supported higher and more repetitive wave action along the shoreline, resulting in continued beach and cliff erosion.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 to 70 mph caused considerable damage across the county. Several hundred trees and 55 power poles were downed. Widespread damage was reported in Ashtabula, Pierpont, Andover, Jefferson and Geneva on the Lake. Major damage occurred at a campground just north of Andover where five homes were severely damaged by fallen trees. Over 50 trees were downed at the campground.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
97,167
Population (ACS)
$160K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jan 3, 2013 | Hurricane | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING DUE TO THE REMNANTS OF HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Apr 24, 2008 | Snowstorm | RECORD SNOW AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM |
| Aug 1, 2006 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ashtabula County, Ohio?
500 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $55.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ashtabula County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 315 recorded events — 63.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ashtabula County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ashtabula County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ashtabula County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ashtabula County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ashtabula County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 63 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ashtabula 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
- Athens County 447
- Ashland County 426
- Auglaize County 386
- Allen County 286
- Belmont County 476
- Adams County 389
Cite this page
“Ashtabula County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/ashtabula-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.