Scioto County, Ohio
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 39145 · population 73,911 · 610 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 708 records for Scioto County, Ohio from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 465 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (282 records). The deadliest single record is the April 23, 1968 tornado: 7 deaths and 75 injuries. FEMA has issued 18 declarations naming the county since 1968, 16 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides” on April 8, 2019.
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
- 708on 465 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 1285 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $63Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 15strongest F5
- FEMA declarations
- 18latest 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 Scioto County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 282 since 1970. 52% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1970 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 | 282 | 192 | 1970-2026 | 1 | 2 | $2.2M | 56 of 88 |
| Floods | 168 | 102 | 1996-2026 | 4 | 6 | $15M | 19 of 88 |
| Winter storms | 120 | 119 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $3.3M | 36 of 88 |
| Hail | 95 | 69 | 1968-2025 | 0 | 0 | $188K | 57 of 88 |
| Tornadoes | 15 | 13 | 1965-2014 | 7 | 77 | $30M | 67 of 88 |
| High wind and dust storms | 12 | 12 | 1996-2020 | 0 | 0 | $12M | 87 of 88 |
| Heat | 6 | 6 | 1999-2019 | 0 | 0 | – | 37 of 88 |
| Heavy rain | 6 | 5 | 2011-2015 | 0 | 0 | $3K | 21 of 88 |
| Drought | 2 | 2 | 1999-1999 | 0 | 0 | – | 80 of 88 |
| Extreme cold | 2 | 2 | 1996-2022 | 0 | 0 | $38K | 88 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 Scioto County had?
NOAA records 15 tornadoes in Scioto County from 1965 to 2014, the strongest rated F5, with 7 deaths and 77 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 18 tornadoes whose track touched Scioto County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 15: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 13 people, 7 of them in Scioto County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-04-23 15:05, as SPC files it | Gallipolis | F5 | 34 mi | 7 |
| 1968-04-23 12:41, as SPC files it | West UnionCrossed KY, OH | F4 | 78.7 mi | 6 |
| 1965-04-08 20:30, as SPC files it | Unnamed | F3 | 2 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Ohio.
Every tornado record filed for Scioto County (15)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-06-04 | Mc Gaw, Scioto County | EF0 1.24 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $125K |
| 2012-03-02 | Mt Joy, Scioto County | EF0 0.19 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $13K |
| 2012-03-02 | Otway, Scioto County | EF0 2.04 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $231K |
| 2005-05-19 | Otway, Scioto County | F1 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $30K |
| 2000-08-09 | Sciotoville, Scioto County | F1 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $514K |
| 1996-05-08 | Friendship, Scioto County | F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $9K |
| 1996-05-04 | Mc Dermott, Scioto County | F1 15 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $47K |
| 1994-04-15 | Scioto County | F1 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $995K |
| 1993-02-21 | Scioto County | F1 5 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
| 1990-05-16 | Scioto County | F1 2.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1982-06-16 | Scioto County | F2 2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1980-04-08 | Scioto County | F1 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $250K step |
| 1968-04-23 | Scioto County | F5 9.8 mi x 400 yd | 7 | 75 | $2.5M step |
| 1968-04-23 | Scioto County | F2 4.9 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $250K step |
| 1965-04-08 | Scioto County | F3 2 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 Scioto County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 18, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($3,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindPurdy Corners, Scioto County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2026-05-24 | Flash FloodRarden, Scioto County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-24 | Flash FloodRarden, Scioto County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2026-02-06 | Winter WeatherScioto County · forecast zone Scioto | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-03 | Winter StormScioto County · forecast zone Scioto | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormScioto County · forecast zone Scioto | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-13 | Winter StormScioto County · forecast zone Scioto | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-01 | Winter StormScioto County · forecast zone Scioto | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-11-10 | Winter StormScioto County · forecast zone Scioto | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-09-22 | Thunderstorm WindBuena Vista, Scioto County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2025-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindBear Creek, Scioto County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2025-06-09 | Thunderstorm WindRosemount, Scioto County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-04-23 | TornadoScioto County | F5 9.8 mi x 400 yd | 7 | 75 | $2.5M step |
| 2000-02-20 | FloodScioto County · forecast zone Scioto Heavy rainfall caused the Ohio River at Portsmouth to overflow its banks. The river crested at 52 feet at 730 am on the 21st. Flood stage is 50 feet. Low land flooding occurred along the river in South Portsmouth. Two deaths and 2 injuries occurred when a car was driven into a flooded area near the confluence of the ... | 2 | 2 | $34K | |
| 2010-07-21 | Flash FloodFranklin Furnace, Scioto County Multiple homes were flooded in the area due to heavy rainfall. Two homes were destroyed, two homes sustained major damage, and several homes received minor damage. In addition, there were multiple water rescues. There was one fatality during the event. The fatality was a female who was outside trying to get to higher ... | 1 | 4 | $406K | |
| 2011-05-10 | FloodJunior Furnace, Scioto County Flooding that was caused by heavy rains on May 10th continued into the day on May 12th. A man wading through chest deep water along Pine Creek in southeast Scioto County Ohio was pulled under around 1000 on May 12, 2011. His body was recovered during the early afternoon of May 12, 2011. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-03-23 | Thunderstorm WindCamp Oyo, Scioto County A woman was killed by a falling tree while she was camping at the Shawnee State Forest. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $1K |
| 2019-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindEdmunds Switch, Scioto County A camping trailer was overturned, injuring a man inside. | 50 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $6K |
| 2014-06-10 | Thunderstorm WindGennetts, Scioto County Thunderstorm winds caused a tree to fall on an individual, trapping and injuring him. | 50 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $1K |
| 1980-04-08 | TornadoScioto County | F1 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09-14 | High WindScioto County · forecast zone Scioto | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $12M |
| 2003-02-16 | Winter StormScioto County · forecast zone Scioto | 0 | 0 | $2.4M | |
| 2000-02-18 | Flash FloodCountywide, Scioto County | 0 | 0 | $1.7M | |
| 1994-04-15 | TornadoScioto County | F1 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $995K |
| 2000-08-09 | TornadoSciotoville, Scioto County | F1 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $514K |
| 2010-07-21 | Flash FloodFranklin Furnace, Scioto County | 1 | 4 | $406K | |
| 2012-03-02 | TornadoOtway, Scioto County | EF0 2.04 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $231K |
| 2014-06-04 | TornadoMc Gaw, Scioto County | EF0 1.24 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $125K |
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 $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 23, 1968 (tornado, Scioto County, 7 killed).
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 Scioto 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 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 44 | 46 | 131 | 43 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 20 | 49 | 56 | 43 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 8 | 21 | 65 z | 26 |
| Hail | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 26 | 41 | 3 |
| Tornadoes | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
Winter storms in the 2010s: 65 records against 21 in the decade before, 65 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Scioto County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
52% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1970 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 53 · Feb 86 · Mar 46 · Apr 54 · May 101 · Jun 107 · Jul 113 · Aug 51 · Sep 29 · Oct 11 · Nov 16 · Dec 41 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Scioto County
FEMA's register lists 18 declarations that include Scioto County: 14 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (8) and flood (5).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-03-31 | DR-4507 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3457 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-04-08 | DR-4424 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides |
| 2018-04-17 | DR-4360 | Flood | Severe Storms, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2012-06-30 | EM-3346 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms |
| 2011-07-13 | DR-4002 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3250 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2005-02-15 | DR-1580 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 2004-09-19 | DR-1556 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2003-03-14 | DR-1453 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm and Record/Near Record Snow |
| 2000-03-07 | DR-1321 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1997-03-04 | DR-1164 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1996-06-24 | DR-1122 | Flood | Flooding |
| 1996-01-27 | DR-1097 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1995-08-25 | DR-1065 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1978-01-26 | EM-3055 | Snowstorm | Blizzards & Snowstorms |
| 1968-06-05 | DR-243 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding |
| 1968-05-04 | DR-238 | Tornado | Tornadoes & Severe Storms |
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 Scioto County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 168 flood or flash flood records for Scioto County from 1996 to 2026, on 102 days, with 4 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Scioto County ranks 716th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $2.7 million on 318 claims filed in Scioto County; the most in one year was 86 in 1997. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 15 · 1979: 17 · 1980: 6 · 1981: 6 · 1982: 1 · 1983: 1 · 1990: 2 · 1991: 3 · 1994: 1 · 1995: 3 · 1996: 2 · 1997: 86 · 1998: 2 · 2000: 50 · 2001: 16 · 2002: 9 · 2003: 17 · 2004: 4 · 2005: 7 · 2006: 3 · 2007: 1 · 2008: 11 · 2009: 8 · 2010: 13 · 2011: 8 · 2013: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2016: 1 · 2018: 6 · 2019: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2025: 5; 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 Scioto County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Scioto County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $26.6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $3.0M | 5.7 modeled event-days a year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | $20M | 3.5 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $1.0M | 1.7 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $131K | 11 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $481K | 47 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $193K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $31K | 1.2 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $487K | once in about 963 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Scioto 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 Scioto CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Scioto County's FEMA declarations (CSV)18 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis