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Meigs County, Ohio severe weather history spans 274 recorded events between 1967 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,937 nationally and #72 in Ohio.
274
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$12.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Meigs County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Meigs County, Ohio severe weather history averages 4.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 83 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 263 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Meigs County, Ohio record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $5.4M 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 Meigs County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 100 | 0 | $3.1M | 70 | 1976–2026 |
| Flood | 75 | 1 | $1.0M | 0 | 2007–2026 |
| Hail | 55 | 0 | $72K | 2 | 1974–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 33 | 1 | $5.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $2.5M | F2 | 1967–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2000–2012 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Meigs 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: 6 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-09-16 | EF3 | 1 | 16 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-03-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-02-21 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-07-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Meigs County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2019 | Flood | MT BLANCO | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| Jun 28, 1998 | Flash Flood | NORTHEAST PORTION | 1 | 0 | $3.0M |
| Sep 17, 2010 | Tornado | JOPPA | 0 | 6 | $1.5M |
| Feb 21, 1993 | Tornado | Salem Center | 0 | 3 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Multiple roads were closed due to high water across central and western Meigs County. This included State Route 681 along the West Branch of the Shade River and State Route 124 along Thomas Fork. Leading Creek also flooded, closing parts of Leading Creek Road and State Route 124. A 54 year old man drowned in the flood waters along Leading Creek around 6 PM on the 6th. The man drove his car into the high water and became stranded. He abandoned the car and tried to make it to dry land but was swept away by the water.
Scattered locations had trees blown down. Around 9,400 customers lost electricity. A total of 3 homes were destroyed, which included mobile homes. Major damage was sustained by 28 homes. Minor damage to roofs and porches occurred to 44 homes. Six businesses had minor wind damage. A lot of the damage in the county was concentrated in the villages along the river near Pomeroy. Public buildings at the county fair grounds near Pomeroy were damaged. Two barns were destroyed and 6 others had heavy damage. The public infrastructure damage assessment was around $445,000.||Ten citizens were evacuated in Meigs County and 21 were sheltered, mainly because of the heat and no electricity during the aftermath. Several cooling stations were open and free swimming was offered at the Syracuse pool. ||About a third of the corn and tomato crops were destroyed.
The storm touched ground 2 miles southwest of Salem Center and passed over the town and lifted Dexter area. Roofs were torn off of two grain silos and a farmhouse was lifted off its foundation. A portion of the roof on an elementary school was torn off. A woman and two children hid in the bath tub of their mobile home before their home was destroyed. They received only minor injuries.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
21,896
Population (ACS)
$119K
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 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 Meigs County, Ohio?
274 events are on record between 1967 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $12.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Meigs County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 100 recorded events — 36.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Meigs County?
6 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 Meigs County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Meigs County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Meigs County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Meigs County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 53 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Meigs 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
- Medina County 522
- Mercer County 381
- Marion County 350
- Miami County 406
- Mahoning County 433
- Monroe County 227
Cite this page
“Meigs County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/meigs-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.