Lake County, Ohio
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 39085 · population 232,492 · 229 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 620 records for Lake County, Ohio from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 453 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (234 records). The deadliest single record is the July 28, 2006 flash flood: 1 death and $468 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 15 declarations naming the county since 1969, 12 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
- 620on 453 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 196 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $611Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 5strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 15latest 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 Lake County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 234 since 1960. 45% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1960 fell in June and July. 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 | 234 | 156 | 1960-2026 | 0 | 5 | $16M | 4 of 88 |
| Winter storms | 127 | 127 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 51 | $45M | 1 of 88 |
| Hail | 98 | 62 | 1975-2024 | 0 | 0 | $724K | 7 of 88 |
| High wind and dust storms | 70 | 66 | 1996-2024 | 0 | 0 | $17M | 1 of 88 |
| Floods | 51 | 41 | 1996-2024 | 1 | 0 | $512M | 14 of 88 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 13 | 10 | 1996-2001 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 of 88 |
| Extreme cold | 11 | 11 | 1996-2022 | 0 | 0 | $16M | 10 of 88 |
| Drought | 5 | 5 | 1996-1999 | 0 | 0 | $1.8M | 9 of 88 |
| Tornadoes | 5 | 5 | 1969-2024 | 0 | 40 | $2.3M | 65 of 88 |
| Heavy rain | 3 | 3 | 1996-2008 | 0 | 0 | $63K | 13 of 88 |
| Heat | 2 | 2 | 1999-1999 | 0 | 0 | – | 39 of 88 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2000-2000 | 0 | 0 | $86K | 37 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 Lake County had?
NOAA records 5 tornadoes in Lake County from 1969 to 2024, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 40 injuries recorded in the county. 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 5 tornadoes whose track touched Lake County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 5, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Ohio.
Every tornado record filed for Lake County (5)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-06 | Pleasant Vly, Lake County | EF1 1.52 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $9K |
| 2023-08-24 | Kirtland, Lake County | EF1 3.27 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $194K |
| 2021-10-21 | Lake County | EF1 0.18 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000-08-09 | Mentor, Lake County | F0 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $43K |
| 1969-07-04 | Lake County | F2 7.2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 40 | $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 Lake County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 14, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($1,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindWilloughby, Lake County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindPainesville Cncrd Ar, Lake County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindLakeshore, Lake County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindLakeshore, Lake County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindMentor On The Lake, Lake County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-10 | Thunderstorm WindPerry, Lake County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-06-10 | Thunderstorm WindConcord, Lake County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-09 | Thunderstorm WindPleasant Vly, Lake County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-31 | Thunderstorm WindPeck Corners, Lake County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-31 | Thunderstorm WindMentor, Lake County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindWilloughby, Lake County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-01 | Thunderstorm WindLakeshore, Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07-28 | Flash FloodCountywide, Lake County After a brief lull, heavy thunderstorm rains resumed just after midnight and devastating flash flood quickly developed. As much as three inches of rain fell between 12:30 and 2:30 a.m. By daybreak on the 28th, as much of 10 inches of rain had fallen on portions of Lake County since the first thunderstorms developed ... | 1 | 0 | $468M | |
| 1998-01-13 | Winter WeatherCountywide, Lake 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 | 45 | – | |
| 1969-07-04 | TornadoLake County | F2 7.2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 40 | $250K step |
| 2021-01-22 | Winter WeatherLake County · forecast zone Lake Lake effect snow showers over Northeast Ohio on the afternoon of January 22nd intensified as high pressure and much colder air entered the region. These lake effect snow bands entered Lake County in time for the evening rush hour on the 22nd, bringing snowfall rates of one to two inches per hour and dropping ... | 0 | 4 | $327K | |
| 2024-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindMadison North, Lake County Large tree downed onto ranch house, caused significant structural damage, and injured three occupants along the 1300 block of Erieview Drive in North Madison. | 60 kt wind | 0 | 3 | $47K |
| 2020-11-15 | Thunderstorm WindMentor, Lake County Large tree down in Mentor. Another tree fell on a car in Painesville and caused two injuries. | 60 kt wind | 0 | 2 | – |
| 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 |
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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07-28 | Flash FloodCountywide, Lake County | 1 | 0 | $468M | |
| 2006-07-27 | Flash FloodCountywide, Lake County | 0 | 0 | $29M | |
| 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 | |
| 1994-08-28 | Thunderstorm WindLake County | 0 | 0 | $10.0M | |
| 1996-11-09 | Heavy SnowGeauga County and Lake County · forecast zone Lake | 0 | 0 | $9.4M | |
| 2013-07-20 | Flash FloodMadison North, Lake County | 0 | 0 | $8.9M | |
| 2012-10-29 | High WindGeauga County and Lake County · forecast zone Lake | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4.5M |
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: July 4, 1969 (tornado, Lake 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 Lake 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 | 8 | 21 | 42 | 44 | 60 | 57 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 25 | 58 | 25 | 19 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 30 | 32 | 10 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 15 | 31 | 19 | 5 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 19 | 9 | 14 | 9 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
45% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1960 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 63 · Feb 41 · Mar 40 · Apr 35 · May 76 · Jun 80 · Jul 76 · Aug 81 · Sep 31 · Oct 19 · Nov 35 · Dec 43 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Lake County
FEMA's register lists 15 declarations that include Lake County: 9 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (5) and severe storm (3).
| 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 |
| 2003-09-23 | EM-3187 | Other | Power Outage |
| 1989-06-10 | DR-831 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1978-01-26 | EM-3055 | Snowstorm | Blizzards & Snowstorms |
| 1975-09-11 | DR-480 | Flood | Winds, Tornadoes, Heavy Rains & Flooding |
| 1973-04-27 | DR-377 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1972-11-24 | DR-362 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1972-07-19 | DR-345 | Flood | Tropical Storm Agnes |
| 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 Lake County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 51 flood or flash flood records for Lake County from 1996 to 2024, on 41 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Lake County ranks 354th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $12.7 million on 882 claims filed in Lake County; the most in one year was 156 in 2006. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 112 · 1979: 41 · 1980: 12 · 1981: 52 · 1982: 18 · 1983: 2 · 1984: 13 · 1985: 8 · 1986: 15 · 1987: 32 · 1988: 6 · 1989: 91 · 1990: 10 · 1991: 1 · 1992: 2 · 1993: 2 · 1994: 77 · 1995: 1 · 1996: 11 · 1997: 5 · 1998: 3 · 1999: 2 · 2000: 1 · 2002: 1 · 2003: 3 · 2004: 3 · 2005: 14 · 2006: 156 · 2007: 3 · 2008: 6 · 2009: 2 · 2010: 2 · 2011: 50 · 2012: 4 · 2013: 55 · 2014: 8 · 2015: 28 · 2016: 1 · 2017: 4 · 2018: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2025: 3 · 2026: 4; 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 Lake County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lake County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $41.9 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 | $760K | 24 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | $1.8M | 1.5 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $31M | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $461K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $868K | 2.7 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $3.5M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $405K | 38 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $893K | 1.3 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Lake 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 Lake CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Lake County's FEMA declarations (CSV)15 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis