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Union County, Ohio severe weather history spans 274 recorded events between 1963 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,937 nationally and #72 in Ohio.
274
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$5.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Union County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Union County, Ohio severe weather history averages 4.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 104 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 34 events fall before 1990 and 240 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $3.1M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Union County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 147 | 0 | $958K | 70 | 1964–2026 |
| Hail | 67 | 0 | $45K | 2 | 1965–2026 |
| Flood | 31 | 0 | $8K | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $3.1M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $1.5M | F3 | 1963–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2012 |
Decade by decade
Union 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-11-10 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-10 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 89.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-11 | EF2 | 4 | 62 | 22.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-03-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-09-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Union County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| Jun 21, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Nov 10, 2002 | Tornado | RAYMOND | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| Jun 19, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorms moved repeatedly over the same areas causing most creeks and streams to overflow their banks and flood county roads. Several residents were evacuated as up to 7.5 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours.
The tornado moved into the northwest part of the county from Logan County, tracking northeast across rural areas. Nine homes were damaged, four of which were completely destroyed. Half a dozen barn and sheds were destroyed. A 400-foot metal hi-tension cellular tower was toppled and destroyed and numerous cars were totalled. The worst damage occurred to a modular home along Newton-Perkins Road. Two individuals in the home were severely injured.
Damage from the tornado consisted of several large tree limbs and trees down. Light structural damage occurred to several homes near State Route 38 and Timberview Drive. This damage included the loss of shingles and siding. The most significant damage occurred to a home along State Route 38 which suffered near total roof loss. Based on the damage, wind speeds were estimated to be around 85 miles per hour.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
67,324
Population (ACS)
$345K
Median home value
13
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 |
| 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 Union County, Ohio?
274 events are on record between 1963 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $5.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Union County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 147 recorded events — 53.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Union 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 Union County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Union County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Union County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Union County as very low risk, placing it in the 33 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Union 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
- Tuscarawas County 615
- Van Wert County 354
- Trumbull County 681
- Vinton County 251
- Summit County 732
- Warren County 675
Cite this page
“Union County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/union-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.