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Shelby County, Ohio severe weather history spans 362 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,421 nationally and #57 in Ohio.
362
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
81
Direct injuries
$5.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Shelby County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Shelby County, Ohio severe weather history averages 5.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 122 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 31 events fall before 1990 and 331 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Shelby County, Ohio record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $3.2M 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 Shelby County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 205 | 0 | $1.3M | 90 | 1971–2026 |
| Hail | 72 | 0 | $30K | 2.75 | 1980–2025 |
| Flood | 47 | 0 | $43K | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $398K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Tornado | 10 | 3 | $3.2M | F4 | 1961–2026 |
| Lightning | 5 | 1 | $171K | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2013 |
Decade by decade
Shelby 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 3 | 50 | 18.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-07-28 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 20.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-07-28 | EF3 | 0 | 22 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-07-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-06-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Shelby County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 3 | 50 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 6, 2022 | Lightning | SIDNEY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 22 | $250K | |
| Jul 26, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | 0 | 4 | $60K |
| Jun 9, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 10, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | FT LORAMIE | 0 | 1 | $2K |
| Jul 31, 1999 | Lightning | ANNA | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| Apr 5, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A strong microburst caused damage to homes across the eastern part of the county. One house was blown off of its foundation, and several others sustained major damage. Numerous trees were downed across the area. Maximum wind speeds were estimated between 100 and 120 mph.
A house along State Route 48 near the Shelby-Miami county line was set on fire by a lightning strike. Firefighters from surrounding villages responded to the blaze, which took nearly two hours to extinguish. The five year old home was completely destroyed. There were no injuries, as the homeowners were out of town at the time of the fire.
The first tornadic damage occurred along Wells Road, just west of County Road 25A, where a RV was overturned and a pair of properties sustained siding damage. Additionally, two trees were downed along County Road 25A. The tornado then crossed I-75, where it blew two tractor trailers over onto their sides. The tornado then crossed Highland Kies Road, where it blew down a tree, destroyed a shed, and blew shingles off of a residence and garage. Finally, the tornado destroyed a large outbuilding on Sidney Freyburg Road south of Amsterdam Road before dissipating.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
47,929
Population (ACS)
$208K
Median home value
15
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 |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Sidney 131
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Shelby County, Ohio?
362 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $5.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Shelby County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 205 recorded events — 56.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Shelby 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 Shelby County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Shelby County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Shelby County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Shelby County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 56 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Shelby 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
- Seneca County 463
- Stark County 694
- Scioto County 537
- Summit County 732
- Sandusky County 366
- Trumbull County 681
Cite this page
“Shelby County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/shelby-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.