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Butler County, Ohio severe weather history spans 597 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #591 nationally and #13 in Ohio.
597
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
38
Direct injuries
$69.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Butler County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Butler County, Ohio severe weather history averages 8.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 214 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 67 events fall before 1990 and 530 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Butler County, Ohio record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $62.2M 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 Butler County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 309 | 0 | $3.0M | 85 | 1959–2026 |
| Hail | 159 | 0 | $71K | 2.75 | 1969–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 61 | 1 | $3.5M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flood | 30 | 0 | $51K | 0 | 2007–2026 |
| Tornado | 25 | 1 | $62.2M | F4 | 1951–2025 |
| Lightning | 7 | 2 | $805K | 0 | 1996–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2011–2015 |
Decade by decade
Butler County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
25 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 2 | 39 | 19.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-06-02 | EF4 | 0 | 37 | 33.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-05-10 | EF3 | 0 | 25 | 54.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-04 | EF2 | 1 | 5 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-02-25 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-02-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Butler County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 1990 | Tornado | 1 | 5 | $250K | |
| Sep 4, 2011 | Lightning | WEST CHESTER | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 10, 2000 | Lightning | BETHANY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 29, 1996 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $3K |
| Apr 8, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| May 10, 1969 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 25, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Jul 25, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | HAMILTON | 0 | 2 | $4K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several state, county and township roads incurred culvert and/or beam damage. 159 dwellings and one nursing home with damage across county. A stream was out of its banks at the intersection of State Routes 73 and 177. Total estimate of public assistance is 1,465,350.
Twenty five homes in the Cedar Grove subdivision in New Miami were evacuated when Four Mile and Seven Mile Creeks came out of their banks. In Fairfield, up to 50 homes were evacuated when Pleasant Run Creek rose out of its banks. Cars were trapped in high water throughout Fairfield, with a total of 300 homes sustaining damage from the flooding.
Tornadic damage was first observed near Hamilton Eaton Road, just north of New Miami, Ohio and traveled northeast. The tornado caused substantial roof and siding damage to several mobile homes and moved at least two others from their foundation. There were also numerous trees either uprooted or with their tops snapped through this area. The tornado then continued along Trenton Road and Hawkins Road, where additional tree damage was noted. From there, the tornado crossed Wayne Madison Road, where several power poles were snapped. ||Additional damage to outbuildings was noted along Woodsdale Road. The tornado then moved across the Great Miami River and caused damage to several homes in a subdivision just east of Hamilton Middletown Road. Homes on and near Hailey Lane, Michelle Lane, and Hollybrook Drive were also damaged with peeled off shingles and flashing, along with portions of roof removal. Numerous trees were also downed in this area. The damage after this subdivision became much more sporadic in nature so the tornado likely dissipated beyond this point.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
392,876
Population (ACS)
$259K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Oct 24, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WIND STORM ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL DEPRESSION IKE | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jan 11, 2005 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Hamilton 102
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Butler County, Ohio?
597 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $69.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Butler County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 309 recorded events — 51.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Butler County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Butler County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Butler County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Butler County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Butler County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 91 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Butler 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
- Brown County 446
- Carroll County 387
- Belmont County 476
- Champaign County 283
- Auglaize County 386
- Clark County 467
Cite this page
“Butler County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/butler-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.