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Cuyahoga County, Ohio severe weather history spans 1,054 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #123 nationally and #1 in Ohio.
1,054
Recorded events
26
Direct deaths
544
Direct injuries
$216.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Cuyahoga County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cuyahoga County, Ohio severe weather history averages 14.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 282 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 154 events fall before 1990 and 900 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 12 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $98.0M 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 Cuyahoga County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 597 | 12 | $24.8M | 90 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 297 | 0 | $7.8M | 2.75 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 97 | 0 | $98.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 21 | 12 | $70.7M | F4 | 1951–2024 |
| Flood | 17 | 0 | $15.2M | 0 | 2006–2021 |
| Waterspout | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Lightning | 11 | 2 | $195K | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Winter Weather | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Cuyahoga County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
22 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 18 | 200 | 22.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-06-08 | EF4 | 17 | 379 | 118.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-05-02 | EF3 | 1 | 25 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-09-29 | EF3 | 0 | 20 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-08-20 | EF2 | 4 | 20 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-07-15 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cuyahoga County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1953 | Tornado | 6 | 300 | $0 | |
| Aug 21, 1962 | Tornado | 4 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| Sep 7, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 3 | 3 | $0 | |
| Jul 25, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | BAY VLG | 3 | 0 | $2K |
| Aug 16, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | CLEVELAND | 2 | 0 | $75K |
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 1 | 100 | $25.0M | |
| May 2, 1983 | Tornado | 1 | 25 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 12, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 1 | $1.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 46 year old woman and two men, ages 30 and 32 were killed when a large branch broke off of a tree and fell 60 feet landing on the picnic table they were sitting at. Although no adverse weather was occurring at the time of the accident, strong thunderstorms producing winds of around 45 mph moved through the area about an hour earlier. It is believed that these storms weakened the branch and ultimately caused it to fall.
A 27-year-old off duty Cleveland Heights policeman was killed by lightning as he was walking to the house to avoid the approaching storm. Trees were downed, some on power lines. Coshocton County Coshocton,15,1713EST,,,0,0,3,0,Thunderstorm Winds
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.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,245,873
Population (ACS)
$195K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Jul 2, 2006 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cuyahoga County, Ohio?
1,054 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 26 direct deaths and $216.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cuyahoga County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 597 recorded events — 56.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cuyahoga County?
22 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cuyahoga County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cuyahoga County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cuyahoga County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cuyahoga County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 98 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cuyahoga 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
- Crawford County 344
- Darke County 452
- Coshocton County 445
- Defiance County 231
- Columbiana County 614
- Delaware County 428
Cite this page
“Cuyahoga County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/cuyahoga-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.