Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Greenup; Carter; Boyd; Lawrence; Perry; Morgan; Athens; Washington; Jackson; Vinton; Meigs; Gallia; Lawrence; Wayne; Cabell; Mason; Jackson; Wood; Pleasants; Tyler; Lincoln; Putnam; Kanawha; Roane; Wirt; Calhoun; Ritchie; Doddridge; Logan; Boone; Clay; Braxton; Gilmer; Lewis; Harrison
Lawrence County, Ohio severe weather history spans 412 recorded events between 1968 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,207 nationally and #42 in Ohio.
412
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$28.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Lawrence County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lawrence County, Ohio severe weather history averages 7.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 131 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 386 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lawrence County, Ohio record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $17.6M 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 Lawrence County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 205 | 0 | $3.4M | 78 | 1968–2026 |
| Hail | 94 | 0 | $479K | 3 | 1975–2025 |
| Flood | 48 | 1 | $3.5M | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 44 | 0 | $17.6M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $3.0M | F5 | 1968–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $45K | 0 | 1999–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2015 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 1996–2011 |
Decade by decade
Lawrence County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-04-23 | EF5 | 7 | 93 | 34.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 7.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-05-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-08-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lawrence County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 2000 | Flood | SCOTTOWN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2009 | Lightning | ROYERSVILLE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | Tornado | HANGING ROCK | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Jul 20, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | CHSPK LAWRENCE CO AR | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Apr 23, 1968 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $30 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An eleven year old boy drowned in Indian Guyan Creek, swollen by the rains of the preceding evening. Rains of 2 to 3 inches were common in the vicinity, with Lesage measuring 3.1 inches, Willow Wood at 2.35 inches and Hogsett, West Virginia with 2.48 inches. The location was near the covered bridge at the junction of Routes 217 and 67. According to the Windsor Township Fire Chief, the boy waded through shallow water, only to step off the bank into much deeper water. After the water levels had receded, his body was found a few days later, about a mile downstream.
Flashing flooding was common in the county. Numerous water rescues occurred both from homes and vehicles. The main concentration of damage was around Pedro, Ironton, Kitts Hill and Rock Camp. The state of Ohio reported 40 homes had major damage and 40 other homes had minor damage. Five businesses were also affected to some degree. Damage to roads, small bridges, and culverts occurred. Numerous water rescues occurred.
During the heavy rain, 13 of the 15 fire departments in the county were responding to water related incidents. At least 15 water rescues were conducted by the fire departments and law enforcement. The county declared a local emergency. ||Throughout the county, 6 dwellings were destroyed, 8 had major damage, and 14 had minor damage. The Red Cross provided temporary housing to 6 families, while many other displaced residents stayed with family or friends. A large landslide damaged County Route 5 along Elkins Creek.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
56,819
Population (ACS)
$144K
Median home value
16
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 |
| Aug 20, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lawrence County, Ohio?
412 events are on record between 1968 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $28.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lawrence County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 205 recorded events — 49.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lawrence County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lawrence County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lawrence County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lawrence County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lawrence County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 71 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lawrence 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
- Lake County 387
- Licking County 573
- Knox County 368
- Logan County 380
- Jefferson County 353
- Lorain County 766
Cite this page
“Lawrence County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/lawrence-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.