Geauga County, Ohio
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 39055 · population 95,397 · 400 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 854 records for Geauga County, Ohio from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 528 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (272 records). The deadliest single record is the December 11, 2021 high wind, filed for the forecast zone Geauga, which covers the county: 1 death and $22,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 13 declarations naming the county since 1969, 10 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms” on June 30, 2012.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 854on 528 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 228 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $164Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 18strongest EF2
- FEMA declarations
- 13latest 2020
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Geauga County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 272 since 1960. 41% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1960 fell in July and August. The rank column places the county among Ohio's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 272 | 180 | 1960-2026 | 1 | 1 | $16M | 20 of 88 |
| Winter storms | 267 | 189 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 21 | $76M | 2 of 88 |
| Hail | 109 | 73 | 1960-2026 | 0 | 0 | $538K | 20 of 88 |
| High wind and dust storms | 109 | 66 | 1996-2024 | 1 | 0 | $25M | 4 of 88 |
| Floods | 39 | 32 | 1996-2024 | 0 | 0 | $17M | 67 of 88 |
| Tornadoes | 18 | 15 | 1959-2026 | 0 | 4 | $7.0M | 35 of 88 |
| Extreme cold | 17 | 12 | 1996-2022 | 0 | 0 | $17M | 14 of 88 |
| Drought | 10 | 5 | 1996-1999 | 0 | 0 | $5.3M | 22 of 88 |
| Lightning | 6 | 5 | 1996-1999 | 0 | 2 | $574K | 12 of 88 |
| Heat | 4 | 2 | 1999-1999 | 0 | 0 | – | 46 of 88 |
| Heavy rain | 3 | 2 | 1996-1997 | 0 | 0 | $63K | 38 of 88 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Geauga County had?
NOAA records 18 tornadoes in Geauga County from 1959 to 2026, the strongest rated EF2, with 0 deaths and 4 injuries recorded in the county. That is 35th of 88 Ohio counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 18 tornadoes whose track touched Geauga County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 18, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Ohio.
Every tornado record filed for Geauga County (18)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-31 | Novelty, Geauga County | EF1 1.5 mi x 120 yd | 0 | 0 | $30K |
| 2024-08-06 | Mulberry Corners, Geauga County | EF1 3.18 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $19K |
| 2023-08-24 | Burton Station, Geauga County | EF2 0.69 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $63K |
| 2023-08-24 | Chardon Airport, Geauga County | EF1 1.18 mi x 175 yd | 0 | 0 | $48K |
| 2023-08-24 | Bainbridge, Geauga County | EF1 1.81 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $82K |
| 2019-06-13 | Montville Buds Airport, Geauga County | EF0 0.41 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2018-09-20 | Middlefield, Geauga County | EF1 2.48 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $147K |
| 2018-09-20 | Huntsburg, Geauga County | EF1 3.18 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $88K |
| 2011-08-24 | Scotland, Geauga County | EF1 2.91 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $394K |
| 1995-05-29 | Middlefield, Geauga County | 0 | 4 | $1.9M | |
| 1992-07-14 | Geauga County | F0 7 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1992-07-12 | Geauga County | F1 1 mi x 73 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1990-09-06 | Geauga County | F0 1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1985-06-22 | Geauga County | F2 2.4 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1977-03-30 | Geauga County | F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1974-05-11 | Geauga County | F1 0.3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1964-08-22 | Geauga County | 0 | 0 | $3K step | |
| 1959-10-06 | Geauga County | F2 10.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Geauga County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 10, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($5,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-25 | HailSouth Russell, Geauga County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-10 | Thunderstorm WindHambden, Geauga County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-10 | Thunderstorm WindChardon, Geauga County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2026-05-09 | Thunderstorm WindChardon, Geauga County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-09 | Thunderstorm WindFowlers Mill, Geauga County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-09 | Thunderstorm WindThompson Airport, Geauga County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-15 | HailSouth Russell, Geauga County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-15 | HailAuburn Center, Geauga County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-15 | Thunderstorm WindWelshfield, Geauga County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-15 | HailBainbridge, Geauga County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-15 | HailBainbridge, Geauga County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-31 | Thunderstorm WindChardon, Geauga County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-11 | High WindGeauga County · forecast zone Geauga Local broadcast media reports that a tree fell on a van and killed a man on Chillicothe Road in Russell Township. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $22K |
| 1999-07-31 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Geauga County Trees and power poles downed throughout the county from thunderstorm winds of 60 to 80 mph. A 55 year old female was killed at Punderson State Park in Newbury Township when a 40 foot tree fell on her camper and crushed it. Twelve other campers in the park were severely damaged. A tree fell on a house in Newbury ... | 1 | 0 | $709K | |
| 1998-01-13 | Winter WeatherCountywide, Geauga County A combination of occasional rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow, particularly on Tuesday the 13th, caused icy roads, bridges, sidewalks and other exposed surfaces. Many schools were closed. Hospital emergency rooms treated numerous ice related injuries (mostly from slips and falls). Even salt trucks had trouble ... | 0 | 17 | – | |
| 1995-05-29 | TornadoMiddlefield, Geauga County The tornado touched down near the Aims Department store just north of route 87 and moved northeast downing trees. An apartment complex suffered minor roof and structural damage. The tornado then moved into a residential neighborhood. Four homes were destroyed as the roofs were removed and each house lost one or two ... | 0 | 4 | $1.9M | |
| 1999-01-02 | Winter StormGeauga County and Lake County · forecast zone Lake Snow changed to freezing rain and sleet, with a brief change to rain as temperatures rose slightly above freezing, and then back to snow. Temperatures dropped quickly into the teens causing the wet snow and ice to refreeze and creating significant ice on the ground, roads and sidewalks. Snow accumulations generally ... | 0 | 2 | $27K | |
| 1999-01-02 | Winter StormGeauga County · forecast zone Geauga Snow changed to freezing rain and sleet, with a brief change to rain as temperatures rose slightly above freezing, and then back to snow. Temperatures dropped quickly into the teens causing the wet snow and ice to refreeze and creating significant ice on the ground, roads and sidewalks. Snow accumulations generally ... | 0 | 2 | $27K | |
| 2000-08-06 | Thunderstorm WindParkman, Geauga County Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees and many large limbs in Parkman. One of the trees landed on a moving car. The driver of the car was transported to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries. | 0 | 1 | $34K | |
| 1996-06-12 | LightningParkman Township, Geauga County A fifteen year old girl was injured when lightning struck the barn where she was milking a cow. | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-04-29 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillGeauga County and Lake County · forecast zone Lake | 0 | 0 | $13M | |
| 2008-03-04 | Winter StormGeauga County and Lake County · forecast zone Lake | 0 | 0 | $10M | |
| 1996-11-09 | Heavy SnowGeauga County and Lake County · forecast zone Lake | 0 | 0 | $9.4M | |
| 2006-07-28 | Flash FloodNorth Portion, Geauga County | 0 | 0 | $6.6M | |
| 2010-05-31 | Flash FloodChardon, Geauga County | 0 | 0 | $6.1M | |
| 1996-11-09 | Heavy SnowGeauga County · forecast zone Geauga | 0 | 0 | $5.6M | |
| 2012-10-29 | High WindGeauga County and Lake County · forecast zone Lake | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4.5M |
| 1999-09-01 | DroughtGeauga County · forecast zone Geauga | 0 | 0 | $3.5M |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: October 6, 1959 (tornado, Geauga County); June 22, 1985 (tornado, Geauga County); July 14, 1992 (tornado, Geauga County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Geauga County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 49 | 68 | 64 | 69 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 54 | 134 | 52 | 27 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 28 | 24 | 29 | 21 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 29 | 56 | 17 | 7 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 18 | 13 | 5 | 3 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
41% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1960 fell in July and August. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 112 · Feb 71 · Mar 73 · Apr 51 · May 83 · Jun 87 · Jul 85 · Aug 87 · Sep 39 · Oct 23 · Nov 56 · Dec 87 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Geauga County
FEMA's register lists 13 declarations that include Geauga County: 7 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (5) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-03-31 | DR-4507 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3457 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2012-06-30 | EM-3346 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms |
| 2008-04-24 | EM-3286 | Snowstorm | Record Snow and Near Record Snow |
| 2006-08-01 | DR-1656 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3250 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2004-09-19 | DR-1556 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2004-06-03 | DR-1519 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2003-09-23 | EM-3187 | Other | Power Outage |
| 1992-08-04 | DR-951 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1989-06-10 | DR-831 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1978-01-26 | EM-3055 | Snowstorm | Blizzards & Snowstorms |
| 1969-07-15 | DR-266 | Tornado | Tornadoes, Severe Storms & Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Geauga County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 39 flood or flash flood records for Geauga County from 1996 to 2024, on 32 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Geauga County ranks 1463rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.5 million on 73 claims filed in Geauga County; the most in one year was 10 in 1994. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 2 · 1979: 2 · 1980: 1 · 1981: 2 · 1982: 3 · 1985: 3 · 1986: 2 · 1987: 1 · 1989: 5 · 1990: 2 · 1994: 10 · 1996: 3 · 1998: 5 · 2003: 1 · 2004: 2 · 2006: 1 · 2007: 2 · 2008: 1 · 2009: 1 · 2010: 3 · 2011: 5 · 2012: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2017: 1 · 2020: 4 · 2021: 6 · 2025: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Geauga County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Geauga County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $19.8 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | $476K | 24 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | $1.6M | 2 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $618K | 3.6 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $14M | 1 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $223K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $1.6M | once in about 6 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $439K | 1.6 modeled event-days a year |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $234K | 40 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Geauga County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in OhioEvery Ohio tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in OhioThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The Ohio recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Geauga CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Geauga County's FEMA declarations (CSV)13 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis