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Guernsey County, Ohio severe weather history spans 406 recorded events between 1968 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,230 nationally and #45 in Ohio.
406
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$11.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Guernsey County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Guernsey County, Ohio severe weather history averages 7.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 130 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 41 events fall before 1990 and 365 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $5.0M 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 Guernsey County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 219 | 0 | $2.8M | 92 | 1969–2026 |
| Hail | 104 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1971–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 40 | 0 | $5.0M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 27 | 0 | $136K | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $3.8M | F2 | 1968–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2020 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2020–2020 |
Decade by decade
Guernsey County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-13 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 8.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-11-16 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 4.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-06-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-10-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-09-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Guernsey County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 14, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Aug 25, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | CAMBRIDGE | 0 | 3 | $400K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An NWS damage survey confirmed that an EF-1 tornado, with winds |peaking near 100 mph, tracked through north central Guernsey County|on the evening of April 2, 2024. The length of the tornado was |about 1.30 miles and the max width was estimated to be about 75 |yards. This tornado was associated with the same circulation that |initially produced 2 tornadoes in Muskingum County. One tornado in|Muskingum County was surveyed near North Zanesville, OH (EF-1) and|the other tornado was surveyed in Highland Twp (EF-0).||Peak intensity was reached as Cool Springs Road meets Cowden |Road, where a number of trees were snapped and/or uprooted. The |tornado caused minor structure damage to a barn before crossing |over a mobile home. The mobile home had partial roof damage, where|insulation was lofted into a tree. Numerous trees were snapped |and/or uprooted near the mobile home. After passing the mobile |home, the tornado lifted along a hillside.
Between 840 PM EDT and 9 PM EDT, a microburst struck just southwest of Warrentown, about 4 miles northeast of Cambridge. Numerous trees toppled or snapped. Siding and shingles torn from a few houses. Two small barns knocked down. One mobile home was pushed off its foundation. Maximum estimated wind 75 mph (65 knots). This microburst made a swath of sporadic damage about half a mile in length and 350 yards wide. It started from just south of Lakespur Lane, and moved northeastward to just south of Route 22
A weak and brief tornado occurred in Guernsey county near Helena, which is about 4 miles southwest of Byesville. A deputy recorded the tornado as it moved through trees. The tornado was rated an EF0, with maximum winds of 65 MPH. The maximum path width was 50 yards, with a path length of 0.20 of a mile.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
38,223
Population (ACS)
$158K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 8, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
| Aug 20, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Jul 13, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Guernsey County, Ohio?
406 events are on record between 1968 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $11.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Guernsey County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 219 recorded events — 53.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Guernsey County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Guernsey County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Guernsey County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Guernsey County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Guernsey County as very low risk, placing it in the 38 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Guernsey 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
- Greene County 577
- Hamilton County 921
- Geauga County 428
- Hancock County 411
- Gallia County 322
- Hardin County 243
Cite this page
“Guernsey County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/guernsey-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.