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Morrow County, Ohio severe weather history spans 285 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,868 nationally and #70 in Ohio.
285
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
94
Direct injuries
$41.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Morrow County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Morrow County, Ohio severe weather history averages 4.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 74 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 35 events fall before 1990 and 250 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Morrow County, Ohio record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $33.6M 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 Morrow County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 158 | 0 | $3.4M | 70 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 79 | 0 | $187K | 1.75 | 1960–2026 |
| Tornado | 19 | 4 | $33.6M | F3 | 1965–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $3.6M | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $645K | 0 | 2011–2021 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 1998–2005 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Winter Weather | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Morrow County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-06-13 | EF3 | 4 | 56 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-11 | EF2 | 4 | 62 | 22.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 14 | 58.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-05-14 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-06-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-06-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Morrow County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 1981 | Tornado | 4 | 56 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 22 | $2.5M | |
| May 15, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $250K | |
| May 13, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $3K | |
| Jun 24, 2000 | Lightning | JOHNSVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 24, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Unionville and | 0 | 1 | $40K |
| Jun 23, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 5, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An intense line of thunderstorms or Derecho moved across Marion County during the afternoon of June 29th causing extensive damage. Winds were estimated to be as much as 80 mph. Over 75 percent of residents lost power during this event. Power was not completely restored for almost a week. Hundreds, if not thousands of trees were downed across the county along with many utility poles forcing the closure of dozens of roads and streets. Damage to homes and buildings was also extensive. Hundreds of homes and buildings lost roofing or siding with many other homes damaged by fallen trees. Clean up costs were extensive. The clean up was hampered by an ongoing heat wave with afternoon temperatures in the upper 90s. Significant crop losses are also expected. Damage from this storm was comparable to the remnants of Hurricane Ike in September 2008. Damage to public property alone was over $700 thousand.
Another round of torrential thunderstorm rains brought new flooding and exacerbated existing flooding. Numerous roads were closed or remained closed. 140 people had to be evacuated from rising water. A woman had to be rescued clinging from a tree branch after she escaped from her truck just before it was swept under a bridge. In some areas, flooding persisted for several days and total rainfall since early morning was 8 to 10 inches in some areas. The county was declared a state and federal disaster area.
Heavy rain and rapidly rising streams forced the closing of several roads throughout the county by 0430 AM Saturday. Major flooding continued until almost midnight on Sunday. Several people were trapped by the rising flood water and had to be rescued. More than 140 people were evacuated. Homes, other buildings and crops were damaged or destroyed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
35,404
Population (ACS)
$222K
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 |
| 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 |
| Apr 24, 2008 | Snowstorm | RECORD SNOW AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Morrow County, Ohio?
285 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $41.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Morrow County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 158 recorded events — 55.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Morrow County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Morrow County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Morrow County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Morrow County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Morrow County as very low risk, placing it in the 24 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Morrow 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
- Morgan County 201
- Muskingum County 539
- Montgomery County 808
- Noble County 247
- Monroe County 227
- Ottawa County 401
Cite this page
“Morrow County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/morrow-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.