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Richland County, Ohio severe weather history spans 559 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #695 nationally and #17 in Ohio.
559
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
26
Direct injuries
$99.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Richland County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Richland County, Ohio severe weather history averages 8.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 157 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 80 events fall before 1990 and 479 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Richland County, Ohio record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $78.5M 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 Richland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 306 | 0 | $6.0M | 70 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 169 | 0 | $227K | 2 | 1961–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 39 | 1 | $78.5M | 50 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 30 | 0 | $11.3M | F2 | 1961–2024 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $3.8M | 0 | 2007–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2002 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Richland County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
29 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 23 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-04-14 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-09-04 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 16.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 22.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1989-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-06-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 14 | 58.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-08-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-08-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Richland County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2006 | Flash Flood | CENTRAL PORTION | 1 | 1 | $350K |
| May 10, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 14 | $25K | |
| Apr 14, 2019 | Tornado | VERNON JCT | 0 | 5 | $500K |
| Sep 5, 2017 | Tornado | CRESTLINE | 0 | 2 | $800K |
| Jun 16, 2019 | Flash Flood | LUCAS | 0 | 1 | $2K |
| Jul 14, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | OLIVESBURG | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Apr 30, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | BELLVILLE | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| May 19, 1997 | Lightning | SHELBY | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rainfall during the afternoon hours of July 12th caused widespread flash flooding across Richland County. Numerous state and county roads, including State Routes 314, 309, 430 and 181 were closed because of fast flowing high water. Initial reports of flooding were from the City of Mansfield where 12 to 18 inches of water was reported flowing across a road. Roads were also closed in Lexington and Ontario. On the east side of Mansfield, a bridge on Hickory Lane was washed out. Also in Mansfield, Touby Run quickly left it's banks and flowed into the first floor of a home near the Coul Street and West 6th Street intersection. Around 5:45 p.m., a young girl fell into a drainage ditch and was swept into a culvert at a botanical garden in Mansfield. The mother of the young girl jumped into the culvert to rescue her and was also swept away. The young girl was swept through the culvert and was rescued. Unfortunately, the mother did not survive. The daughter received only minor injuries.
Over two weeks of consecutive rain was peaked by torrential rain on the 9th and 10th of July where brought widespread flooding to Richland County. The most impacted towns were Shelby, Mansfield, Ontario, Lexington, Bellville and Butler ���with reported damage to homes and businesses. There was some road damage due to fast moving water. Major flooding at the Pleasant Hill Marina and lake caused evacuation of all campers and boats in that area. Radar estimates put the average rainfall in the county around 4 inches in 48 hours, with locally higher amounts of 6 to 8 inches. The heaviest rain fell over the Black and Clear Forks of the Mohican River, which resulted in widespread flooding for communities along those bodies of water. The period of flooding occurred during peak tourist season and resulted in a notably monetary loss as the river and surrounding campsites were closed for recreational sports.
Much of Bellville was closed part of the day as water flooded the village's east side. Water surrounded the elementary school and covered the township garage as the Clear Fork rose out of banks. Around 60 water rescues were reported in the Mansfield area. Water damaged commercial businesses around 5th and Main Streets. The main Post Office in Mansfield was flooded.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
125,099
Population (ACS)
$165K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 2024 | Tornado | TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Apr 24, 2008 | Snowstorm | RECORD SNOW AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM |
| Aug 27, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Mansfield 111
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Richland County, Ohio?
559 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $99.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Richland County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 306 recorded events — 54.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Richland County?
29 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 23 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Richland County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Richland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Richland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Richland County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 61 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Richland 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
- Putnam County 287
- Ross County 417
- Preble County 330
- Sandusky County 366
- Portage County 523
- Scioto County 537
Cite this page
“Richland County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/richland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.