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Jefferson County, Ohio severe weather history spans 353 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,474 nationally and #60 in Ohio.
353
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$10.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Jefferson County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jefferson County, Ohio severe weather history averages 4.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 112 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 21 events fall before 1990 and 332 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jefferson County, Ohio record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $6.7M 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 Jefferson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 225 | 1 | $2.6M | 70 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 77 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1974–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 34 | 0 | $6.7M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $1.0M | F2 | 1954–2024 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $70K | 0 | 2007–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2022 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2023–2023 |
Decade by decade
Jefferson County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 15.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-10-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-05-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jefferson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | BRADLEY | 1 | 1 | $15K |
| May 18, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | STEUBENVILLE | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Apr 27, 1954 | 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 Ohio State Highway Patrol reported a large tree branch fell onto a car travelling north on Jefferson 17, four tenths of a mile south of Jefferson 15 in Smithfield Township. The large branch fell from very high in the tree, striking the vehicle longways and creating a deep V shape down the vehicles roof. The driver, a 62 year old male, was killed almost instantly. His 61 year old wife was injured.
Several waves of thunderstorms continued to pass over Jefferson County, with major flooding reported across the region. Numerous homes across the county were damaged, with 50-60 homes in the Glen Robbins area receiving severe damage as the Little Short Creek flooded. It was estimated that around 40 vehicles were destroyed from the flash flood waters.
Emergency management reported large trees down from near the intersection of Highways 43 and 22 to the Jefferson County Airport and east across the city of Steubenville. 3 hangars at the airport were significantly damaged with loss of roofs and structural damage. Trees and power lines were down across much the the Steubenville area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
64,518
Population (ACS)
$128K
Median home value
22
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 |
| Apr 17, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | 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 Jefferson County, Ohio?
353 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $10.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jefferson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 225 recorded events — 63.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jefferson County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jefferson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jefferson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jefferson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 67 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jefferson 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
- Jackson County 258
- Knox County 368
- Huron County 494
- Lake County 387
- Holmes County 364
- Lawrence County 412
Cite this page
“Jefferson County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/jefferson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.