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Wayne County, Ohio severe weather history spans 485 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #928 nationally and #28 in Ohio.
485
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
17
Direct injuries
$76.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Wayne County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wayne County, Ohio severe weather history averages 7.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 144 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 65 events fall before 1990 and 420 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $58.0M 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 Wayne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 280 | 0 | $4.4M | 82 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 142 | 0 | $796K | 3 | 1968–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $11.9M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 25 | 0 | $58.0M | F2 | 1957–2026 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $605K | 0 | 1997–2006 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 2011–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2006 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Wayne County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
25 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-09-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-11-12 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-07-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 40.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1968-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-14 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-07-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-11-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-08-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wayne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | CHIPPEWA TWP | 0 | 6 | $30K |
| Nov 13, 2003 | Tornado | WOOSTER | 0 | 3 | $21.0M |
| May 14, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 1, 1996 | Tornado | DALTON | 0 | 2 | $300K |
| May 10, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Aug 7, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | WOOSTER | 0 | 1 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Rainfall estimated around 2 to 5 inches caused substantial damage in flash floods across central Wayne County. Preliminary damage assessments reported at least 25 homes categorized as either major damage or destroyed and 6 businesses severely affected. The most significant damage was located south of Wooster near US 250 in the Apple Creek basin. The Apple Creek Fire Department said four residents were rescued from their flooded home in the 5600 block of Dover Avenue by fire crews and a dive team, and that nearly all roads were impassable. At least 400 people were evacuated from Prairie Lane Lake Park campground and about a dozen others were rescued after flash flooding hit the southside of Wooster and areas south of the city.
A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Wayne County during the late afternoon hours and was quickly followed by a second round of storms. Torrential rain fell as this series of storms moved through. Spotters indicated that as much as two inches of rain fell in an hour. The Rittman area saw the worst flooding. Water as much as waist deep filled portions of the town. Many homes and businesses had to be evacuated. A strip mall was heavily damaged after water outside the mall accumulated to over three feet in depth in less than 30 minutes. The glass store fronts in the mall gave way under the weight of the flood waters and flooded the building in minutes. Dozens of roads in northern Wayne County were either washed out or flooded. Hundreds of homes and vehicles were damaged.
Hundreds of trees, large limbs, utility poles and power lines were reported down across the county as severe thunderstorms moved across Wayne County during the late afternoon hours of the 22nd. Damage in the City of Wooster was especially bad with many homes damaged by fallen trees. At least 20,000 homes lost power as a result of the storms. It took several days for power to be restored to all areas. Many roads in Wooster and elsewhere in the county had to be closed because of the fallen trees and power lines. A country club in Wooster spent nearly $100,000 cleaning up 189 downed trees on it's property. Near Dalton, a home, barn and silo were damaged by thunderstorm winds. Tree damage in Wooster was as extensive as that seen after a tornado hit the city on November 12th, 2003.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
116,588
Population (ACS)
$222K
Median home value
10
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 |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Feb 15, 2005 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Wooster 109
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wayne County, Ohio?
485 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $76.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wayne County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 280 recorded events — 57.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wayne County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wayne County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wayne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wayne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wayne County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 65 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wayne 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
- Washington County 507
- Williams County 196
- Warren County 675
- Wood County 512
- Vinton County 251
- Wyandot County 230
Cite this page
“Wayne County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/wayne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.