226
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$7.7M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Erie County, Ohio: 226 recorded events between 1968 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 98. That places the county #835 nationally and #44 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Erie County, Ohio: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Erie County is the 2000s, when 60 of the county's 226 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 Erie County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 55.4% of all recorded severe weather across 12 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #835 for this hazard and #44 within Ohio, putting it in the 73.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Erie County with 65 recorded events, while Feb 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 24, 2023 | SANDUSKY | 55 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2012 | SANDUSKY | 50 | 0 | 1 | $15K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 2025 | MILAN | 55 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2024 | BERLIN HGTS | 55 | $0 |
| Aug 25, 2023 | KELLEYS IS | 55 | $0 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | SANDUSKY | 55 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2023 | COLUMBUS PARK | 60 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2023 | WILMER | 60 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2023 | WILMER | 70 | $10K |
| Aug 12, 2023 | WEYERS | 65 | $20K |
| Aug 12, 2023 | CASTALIA | 55 | $13K |
| Jul 26, 2023 | ASHMONT | 60 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Erie County
- Hail 108
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A thunderstorm downburst caused widespread wind damage in the northeast portion of Sandusky. The damage swatg was a half mile wide and approximately 2.25 miles long. Numerous large trees and limbs were brought down across the city with some falling on buildings causing roof damage. Numerous large trees were also downed at Battery Park and the Marina. Approximately 30 power poles were blown over on the causeway to Cedar Point. Some power lines landed on cars trapping 15 to 20 people in their vehicles. Power outages due to the downed lines caused Cedar Point to be closed for the following day. At least one site measured a wind gust to 76 mph. Estimated wind speeds based on damage were 70 to 80 mph in downtown Sandusky and as high and greater than 80 mph on the causeway.
Severe thunderstorm downburst winds caused substantial damage in Perkins Township, just south of the City of Sandusky, during the late evening hours of the 22nd. The damage was concentrated in an area just west of the Sandusky Mall. The thunderstorm winds were estimated to be around 70 mph. Forty to fifty homes in Perkins Township were damaged. A few homes had moderate damage but most of the damage was minor. A house nearly one hundred and fifty years old had its chimney knocked down from the severe winds. Another house had a roof collapse into the living room. A garage at another location collapsed after the roof was completely torn off. Other houses primarily had damage to their roofs. A church had two sections of it's roof torn off, and four windows blown out of it. Fifteen to twenty trees were completely uprooted in the area, and hundreds of other trees were knocked down or sustained major damage from large limbs broken off of them. Along with trees, many areas had power lines that were downed.
Strong thunderstorm winds estimated to 70 miles per hour produced widespread damage in Milan. An estimated one thousand or more trees were downed in the area and the roofs of the town hall and police station were badly damaged.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Erie County, Ohio?
226 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Erie County between 1968 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Erie County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Erie County measured 98.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Erie 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
“Thunderstorm Wind in Erie County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/erie-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.