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Harrison County, Ohio severe weather history spans 270 recorded events between 1962 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,965 nationally and #76 in Ohio.
270
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$2.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Harrison County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Harrison County, Ohio severe weather history averages 4.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 88 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 19 events fall before 1990 and 251 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Harrison County, Ohio record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $1.8M 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 Harrison County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 169 | 2 | $1.8M | 70 | 1968–2025 |
| Hail | 45 | 0 | $5K | 1.75 | 1962–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 41 | 2 | $472K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $79K | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Tornado | 4 | 1 | $553K | F3 | 1965–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2023–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2018 |
Decade by decade
Harrison County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-05-08 | EF3 | 1 | 14 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-05-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-06-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-12 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Harrison County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | CLENDENING | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 20, 2020 | Flash Flood | UNIONVALE | 2 | 0 | $100K |
| May 9, 1969 | Tornado | 1 | 14 | $250K | |
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
More info: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2020/11/17/bodies-missing-michigan-hunters-found-clendening-lake-ohio/6322047002/||Two men, aged 43 and 60 and residents of south central Michigan, died when an overloaded watercraft, convective wind, and not being prepared for the environmental conditions all played a role in capsizing their boat. Most likely, based on available information, they were very low in the water and became swamped by high wave action. This resulted in them going into the water, and with no personal flotation devices, they succumbed to hyperthermia and drowned.
County roads flooded between Bowerstown and Deersville. Water began to recede after 9 PM EDT and was expected to return to normal by midnight. The flash flood damaged roads (such as routes 8 and 39), culverts, camp sites, and boat docks around Tappan Lake. A bridge was washed out on Route 8.
An F2 tornado with maximum winds estimated at 120 MPH passed through a 3-mile section of rural Harrison County. The tornado passed over only one residence as it moved to the east but destroyed several items on the property, including a cinder-block garage, a wooden barn, and several outbuildings. A parked truck was lifted and turned about 90 degrees but was otherwise undamaged. There were several large sections of heavily wooded area along the tornado's path which were completely cleared of trees. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,306
Population (ACS)
$122K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 17, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Harrison County, Ohio?
270 events are on record between 1962 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $2.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Harrison County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 169 recorded events — 62.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Harrison County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Harrison County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Harrison County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Harrison County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Harrison County as very low risk, placing it in the 11 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Harrison 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
- Hardin County 243
- Henry County 260
- Hancock County 411
- Highland County 425
- Hamilton County 921
- Hocking County 305
Cite this page
“Harrison County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/harrison-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.