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Fairfield County, Ohio severe weather history spans 503 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #863 nationally and #25 in Ohio.
503
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$6.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Fairfield County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Fairfield County, Ohio severe weather history averages 7.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 165 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 47 events fall before 1990 and 456 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Fairfield County, Ohio record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $2.3M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Fairfield County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 279 | 0 | $2.0M | 70 | 1968–2026 |
| Hail | 114 | 0 | $402K | 2.75 | 1961–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 41 | 2 | $1.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 38 | 0 | $37K | 0 | 2006–2026 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $2.3M | F3 | 1963–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2011–2015 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Fairfield County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-02-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-09-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-09-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-22 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-03-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-09-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Fairfield County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 22, 1999 | Flash Flood | PLEASANTVILLE | 2 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 12, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $25K | |
| Dec 26, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Apr 17, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jul 22, 2017 | Lightning | LANCASTER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado touched down south of Millersport near the intersection of Millersport Road and Canal Road where tree damage was observed. The tornado then continued to the east and directly hit a farm on the north side of Canal Road. At this location, metal grain bins were tossed and rolled and trees were uprooted. A masonry wall was also flattened and numerous objects were impaled into the ground as well. A newly constructed barn had the roof removed and numerous pieces of sheet metal were strewn into adjoining fields. The tornado then continued on and hit two residences on Lake Road. A modular home had the roof completely removed and tossed and trees were uprooted. A barn was completely destroyed in the area as well. At another residence, one of the exterior walls was buckled from the wind blowing the door of the home open. Corn debris from a nearby field was driven into the ground. A stick was found driven into the siding on the front of the home.
A roof was ripped off a house causing moderate damage. Numerous trees were downed in the vicinity of the house. Several barns also sustained some damage. An NWS storm survey determined that the damage was caused by microburst winds of 75 to 85 mph with a few higher gusts.
The tornado touched down east of Baltimore along Canal Road. Damage to a home was done at this location and a garage was destroyed. In addition windows were also blown out at this location. Numerous large trees were snapped and uprooted in the area. Additional damage was found along Millersport Road where a barn was damaged. Estimated maximum wind speed based on damage is around 100 miles per hour.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
163,453
Population (ACS)
$299K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 20, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Oct 24, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WIND STORM ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL DEPRESSION IKE | DR |
| Apr 24, 2008 | Snowstorm | RECORD SNOW AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Lancaster 127
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Fairfield County, Ohio?
503 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $6.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Fairfield County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 279 recorded events — 55.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Fairfield County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 19 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Fairfield County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Fairfield County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Fairfield County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Fairfield County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 73 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Fairfield 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
- Erie County 408
- Fayette County 291
- Delaware County 428
- Franklin County 1,024
- Defiance County 231
- Fulton County 256
Cite this page
“Fairfield County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/fairfield-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.