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Sandusky County, Ohio severe weather history spans 366 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,400 nationally and #55 in Ohio.
366
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
29
Direct injuries
$47.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Sandusky County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sandusky County, Ohio severe weather history averages 5.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 111 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 59 events fall before 1990 and 307 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $27.1M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Sandusky County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 220 | 0 | $9.5M | 87 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 106 | 0 | $1.2M | 3 | 1967–2021 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $27.1M | F4 | 1953–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 0 | $6.0M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $2.6M | 0 | 2006–2017 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 4 | 0 | $675K | 0 | 1997–1998 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Winter Weather | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Sandusky County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-06-08 | EF4 | 17 | 379 | 118.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-08-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-06-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-11-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 18 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-08-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sandusky County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 18 | $25.0M | |
| Jan 13, 1998 | Winter Weather | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 7, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jul 1, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | FREMONT | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| Mar 29, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | LINDSEY | 0 | 1 | $350K |
| Jul 13, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | 0 | 1 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Large trees, branches and power lines were downed, some on houses and vehicles. A silo was blown onto a house in Vickery, four semi trucks were blown over at Clyde and three barn roofs were blown off in Townsend Township. Straight line winds downed trees and took the roof off of a house in Fremont.
A tornado touched down just northwest of Fremont near the intersection of Shade Road and Four Mile House Road. A house was heavily damaged and a motor home destroyed near this location. From the initial touchdown site, the tornado traveled northeast for around three and a half miles and then dissipated east of State Route 19 just to the south of the Ohio Turnpike. A second home was heavily damaged near Booktown Road at State Route 19. Elsewhere along the damage path, a few homes sustained minor damage and seven barns were leveled. One of the barns contained a collection of antique cars which were destroyed. Many trees and power poles were also downed along the damage path which was generally no more than 50 yards in width.
Slow moving training thunderstorms developed across central and eastern portions of Sandusky County between 330pm and 5pm local time. Torrential rainfall of up to 4.5 inches in two hours caused widespread flash flooding in Fremont. Flooding was reported in both the Sheriff Department and Health Department buildings. Many commercial and residential basements in Fremont flooded. High water stranded cars on roadways throughout town, including portions of US Route 20 and State Route 53. Flash Flooding was also reported along Muskellunge Creek just west of Fremont.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
58,778
Population (ACS)
$161K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Jul 2, 2006 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jan 11, 2005 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sandusky County, Ohio?
366 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $47.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sandusky County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 220 recorded events — 60.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sandusky County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sandusky County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sandusky County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sandusky County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sandusky County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 57 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sandusky 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
- Ross County 417
- Scioto County 537
- Richland County 559
- Seneca County 463
- Putnam County 287
- Shelby County 362
Cite this page
“Sandusky County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/sandusky-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.