FEMA declarations
60
Below median
State profile · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Ohio Natural Disasters
Ohio's federal declaration record sits near the middle of the state distribution. 60 FEMA disaster declarations are on record, led by severe storm, with $969.9M in combined property and crop damage. A moderate count like this can still mask a single catastrophic year rather than a steady annual pattern. NOAA storm event data shows 16,184 recorded weather events resulting in 71 fatalities, a toll that informs where the state directs disaster-preparedness resources.
- 60
- FEMA declarations
- 16,184
- NOAA storm events
- 71
- Storm fatalities
- $969.9M
- Property + crop damage
The Ohio risk picture
3 of Ohio's 88 counties, 3%, carry a FEMA "high-risk" National Risk Index rating, with riverine flooding the single largest driver of expected annual loss statewide. Ohio has 52 Major Disaster (DR) declarations; FEMA authorizes Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both separately for each declaration. NOAA-tracked storms have caused 426 injuries statewide.
- 3%
- of counties rated high-risk by FEMA National Risk Index
- 60
- FEMA disaster declarations on record
- $969.9M
- in tracked property + crop damage
- 28,011
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed statewide
FEMA's National Risk Index and NOAA's Storm Events Database measure different things: modeled long-run risk vs. observed severe-weather events. Storm Events is a reported dataset, so its counts track what was observed and logged, not every event that occurred, and reporting is denser where more people live. See the methodology for how they relate.
Major Disaster share
87%
Mostly major
NOAA storm events
16,184
Observed severe-weather records
How does Ohio compare?
Ohio vs. every U.S. state
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
60 36th percentile higher than 36% of 59 states and territories
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states and territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-03
Do more storms mean more federal disasters?
Ohio sits at the 31st percentile of FEMA declaration volume and the 65th percentile of NOAA storm-event volume among 55 states and territories, those two ranks are not interchangeable.
FEMA declaration rank vs NOAA storm-event rank
Read the chart, every state as text
Percentiles are within this release's state/territory sample. Raw counts are the underlying FEMA and NOAA totals.
| State | FEMA decls | FEMA %ile | NOAA storms | NOAA %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 396 | 98 | 23,694 | 93 |
| Texas | 389 | 96 | 53,309 | 98 |
| Oklahoma | 258 | 95 | 23,896 | 95 |
| Washington | 215 | 93 | 4,408 | 22 |
| Florida | 188 | 91 | 12,838 | 55 |
| Oregon | 169 | 89 | 3,695 | 20 |
| New Mexico | 126 | 87 | 10,974 | 45 |
| Arizona | 120 | 85 | 9,541 | 38 |
| New York | 118 | 84 | 21,653 | 82 |
| Montana | 112 | 82 | 13,576 | 56 |
| Colorado | 111 | 78 | 18,340 | 73 |
| Louisiana | 111 | 78 | 11,204 | 47 |
| Nevada | 110 | 76 | 4,534 | 24 |
| Alabama | 102 | 75 | 14,583 | 64 |
| Kentucky | 98 | 71 | 19,947 | 78 |
| Mississippi | 98 | 71 | 14,100 | 62 |
| Tennessee | 97 | 69 | 16,645 | 69 |
| South Dakota | 96 | 67 | 22,759 | 87 |
| Alaska | 94 | 64 | 2,683 | 15 |
| Kansas | 94 | 64 | 25,115 | 96 |
| Arkansas | 87 | 60 | 13,637 | 58 |
| Nebraska | 87 | 60 | 20,136 | 80 |
| Missouri | 86 | 58 | 22,952 | 89 |
| North Carolina | 85 | 56 | 16,367 | 67 |
| West Virginia | 84 | 55 | 12,026 | 49 |
| Georgia | 81 | 51 | 16,676 | 71 |
| Minnesota | 81 | 51 | 19,109 | 75 |
| Iowa | 78 | 49 | 21,883 | 84 |
| Virginia | 77 | 47 | 23,584 | 91 |
| North Dakota | 75 | 45 | 10,818 | 44 |
| Hawaii | 72 | 44 | 6,200 | 31 |
| Maine | 71 | 42 | 4,781 | 27 |
| Illinois | 68 | 40 | 22,088 | 85 |
| Pennsylvania | 64 | 38 | 19,427 | 76 |
| New Hampshire | 63 | 36 | 2,547 | 11 |
| Vermont | 62 | 35 | 3,449 | 18 |
| Idaho | 60 | 31 | 5,142 | 29 |
| Ohio | 60 | 31 | 16,184 | 65 |
| Massachusetts | 59 | 25 | 6,781 | 33 |
| New Jersey | 59 | 25 | 8,218 | 35 |
| Utah | 59 | 25 | 4,578 | 25 |
| Wisconsin | 56 | 24 | 13,807 | 60 |
| Indiana | 54 | 22 | 12,687 | 53 |
| Puerto Rico | 51 | 18 | 2,944 | 16 |
| South Carolina | 51 | 18 | 10,520 | 42 |
| Michigan | 46 | 16 | 9,052 | 36 |
| Wyoming | 45 | 15 | 12,494 | 51 |
| Connecticut | 43 | 13 | 2,622 | 13 |
| Maryland | 38 | 11 | 10,290 | 40 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 33 | 9 | 88 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 31 | 7 | 924 | 7 |
| Delaware | 26 | 5 | 1,475 | 9 |
| Guam | 25 | 4 | 258 | 2 |
| District of Columbia | 24 | 2 | 452 | 5 |
| American Samoa | 17 | 0 | 292 | 4 |
What shapes Ohio's record?
FEMA declaration types in Ohio
Wider bars = more declarations of that incident type
- Severe Storm
Severe Storm
24 declarations
- Flood
Flood
17 declarations
- Tornado 8
Tornado
8 declarations
- Snowstorm 4
Snowstorm
4 declarations
- Biological 2
Biological
2 declarations
- Hurricane 2
Hurricane
2 declarations
- Other 2
Other
2 declarations
- Mud/Landslide 1
Mud/Landslide
1 declarations
What this shows Severe Storm leads Ohio's FEMA declaration mix with 24 records among the types shown.
NOAA storm events by year
Reported severe-weather events in Ohio, 2015–2025 catalog window.
Peak year in this series: 2019 (2,279 events). Counts are reported events, not a complete census.
65 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Ohio · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite mixing OpenFEMA declaration totals (1953–present) with NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025), different windows and event definitions, disclosed weights on the methodology page . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) Moderate
10/30
60 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.7x state average)
NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025) High
18/25
16184 NOAA storm events in the 2015–2025 extract (1.5x median state)
NOAA Damage (2015–2025) High
17/25
Recorded NOAA property+crop damage in the 2015–2025 extract (1.7x median state)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
8 different disaster types declared in Ohio
What does Ohio's hazard record show?
Flood exposure & where to dig deeper
Flood exposure is quantified separately through the National Flood Insurance Program. Policyholders across 88Ohio counties have filed 28,011 NFIP claims totaling $369.2M, or an average of $13.2K per claim. NFIP data captures only insured flood losses, so uninsured flood damage and storm-surge losses outside mapped high-risk zones remain invisible in this figure. The highest-Expected-Annual-Loss hazard across the state is Riverine Flooding, estimated at $1.9B annually. Drill into individual counties for localized risk, read FEMA's hazard-specific briefings, and review insurance and flood-zone designations, state-level averages can mask sharp county-to-county differences in exposure and resilience.
NOAA storm events & FEMA National Risk Index
NOAA's Storm Events Database adds the near-term severe-weather lens. Between 2015 and 2025, Ohio recorded 16,184 individual storm events, causing 71 fatalities and 426 injuries, with combined property and crop damage estimated at $969.9M. The most frequent event types in the state are Thunderstorm Wind (6,938 events), Winter Weather (2,101 events), Hail (1,749 events). Across the state's 88 analyzed counties, FEMA's own National Risk Index flags 3 as high-risk, with an average county Risk Index score (FEMA's own formula, distinct from our Historical Activity tool below) of 55.0/100.
What this count is, and is not. Storm Events is a reported database: NOAA compiles it from National Weather Service offices, trained spotters, law enforcement, and the public. It is a record of what was observed and logged, not a complete census of severe weather. Densely populated areas report more events than sparsely populated ones with similar meteorological exposure, and detection has improved over time, so an event count is not a like-for-like measure of hazard between places or across decades. Damage figures are field estimates, not audited losses. See methodology.
FEMA disaster declarations
Ohio (OH) has a moderate level of federal declaration activity, with 60 FEMA declaration records, including 52 Major Disaster declarations (DR). A DR may authorize Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both; those program approvals are not implied by the DR count. The dominant declaration type is Severe Storm, followed by Flood (17), Tornado (8), Snowstorm (4). Declaration counts at the state level reflect the cumulative federal footprint: large multi-county events count once per state, but repeat hazard patterns across decades are visible in the breakdown below.
Disaster Types in Ohio
Severe Storm 24
Flood 17
Tornado 8
Snowstorm 4
Biological 2
Hurricane 2
Other 2
Mud/Landslide 1
Storm Events by Type
NOAA storm event data for Ohio (2015-2025).
| Event Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 6,938 | 6 | 39 | $60.4M |
| Winter Weather | 2,101 | 7 | 42 | $3.3M |
| Hail | 1,749 | 0 | 0 | $673.5K |
| Flood | 1,607 | 9 | 0 | $84.5M |
| Flash Flood | 1,089 | 9 | 7 | $112.2M |
| Winter Storm | 730 | 1 | 0 | $17.6M |
| High Wind | 451 | 3 | 1 | $7.0M |
| Tornado | 429 | 5 | 251 | $662.2M |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 221 | 7 | 0 | $223.0K |
| Strong Wind | 182 | 0 | 2 | $1.4M |
| Heavy Snow | 135 | 0 | 0 | $1.7M |
| Lake-Effect Snow | 105 | 1 | 5 | $11.8M |
| Drought | 99 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Excessive Heat | 74 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 71 | 8 | 0 | $0 |
| Heavy Rain | 60 | 1 | 0 | $23.0K |
| Ice Storm | 47 | 0 | 0 | $150.0K |
| Lakeshore Flood | 37 | 0 | 0 | $2.7M |
| Lightning | 20 | 6 | 6 | $128.0K |
| Funnel Cloud | 17 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Storm Events by Year
| Year | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,616 | 2 | 3 | $7.3M |
| 2024 | 1,461 | 8 | 48 | $36.7M |
| 2023 | 1,099 | 4 | 13 | $28.1M |
| 2022 | 1,565 | 9 | 79 | $19.8M |
| 2021 | 1,072 | 8 | 12 | $9.4M |
| 2020 | 1,820 | 7 | 6 | $28.8M |
| 2019 | 2,279 | 17 | 229 | $691.7M |
| 2018 | 1,332 | 6 | 4 | $15.9M |
| 2017 | 1,473 | 2 | 19 | $70.0M |
| 2016 | 1,051 | 2 | 4 | $21.3M |
| 2015 | 1,416 | 6 | 9 | $37.6M |
FEMA Disaster Declarations
How the 60 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download all 60 declarations as CSV . Source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
60 unique disaster declarations in Ohio.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4777 | TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 2024-05-02 |
| 4507 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-31 |
| 3457 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4447 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDE | DR | Tornado | 2019-06-18 |
| 4424 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2019-04-08 |
| 4360 | SEVERE STORMS, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2018-04-17 |
| 4098 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING DUE TO THE REMNANTS OF HURRICANE SANDY | DR | Hurricane | 2013-01-03 |
| 4077 | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR | Severe Storm | 2012-08-20 |
| 3346 | SEVERE STORMS | EM | Severe Storm | 2012-06-30 |
| 4002 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-07-13 |
| 1805 | SEVERE WIND STORM ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL DEPRESSION IKE | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-10-24 |
| 3286 | RECORD SNOW AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2008-04-24 |
| 1720 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-08-27 |
| 1656 | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-08-01 |
| 1651 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-07-02 |
| 3250 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-13 |
| 1580 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2005-02-15 |
| 3198 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2005-01-11 |
| 1556 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-09-19 |
| 1519 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-06-03 |
| 1507 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, MUDSLIDES, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2004-01-26 |
| 3187 | POWER OUTAGE | EM | Other | 2003-09-23 |
| 1484 | TORNADOES, FLOODING, SEVERE STORMS, AND HIGH WINDS | DR | Tornado | 2003-08-01 |
| 1478 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-07-15 |
| 1453 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND RECORD/NEAR RECORD SNOW | DR | Severe Storm | 2003-03-14 |
| 1444 | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 2002-11-18 |
| 1390 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2001-08-27 |
| 1343 | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADO | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-09-26 |
| 1339 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-08-21 |
| 1321 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-03-07 |
| 1227 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 1998-06-30 |
| 1164 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1997-03-04 |
| 1122 | FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-06-24 |
| 1097 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1996-01-27 |
| 1065 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1995-08-25 |
| 951 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1992-08-04 |
| 870 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1990-06-06 |
| 831 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1989-06-10 |
| 796 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1987-07-17 |
| 738 | SEVERE STORMS & TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 1985-06-03 |
| 653 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1982-03-26 |
| 642 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING & TORNADOES | DR | Severe Storm | 1981-06-30 |
| 630 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1980-08-23 |
| 3055 | BLIZZARDS & SNOWSTORMS | EM | Snowstorm | 1978-01-26 |
| 3029 | SNOWSTORMS | EM | Snowstorm | 1977-02-02 |
| 480 | WINDS, TORNADOES, HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1975-09-11 |
| 445 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1974-07-11 |
| 436 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1974-05-31 |
| 421 | TORNADOES | DR | Tornado | 1974-04-04 |
| 390 | MUDSLIDES | DR | Mud/Landslide | 1973-06-04 |
Showing 50 of 60 declarations.
FEMA National Risk Index
Composite natural hazard risk scores for Ohio counties based on FEMA's National Risk Index.
Avg County Risk Score
55.0/100
High Risk Counties
3
of 88 counties
Top Hazard by EAL
Riverine Flooding
$1.9B annual loss est.
Top 5 Hazards by Expected Annual Loss
#1
Riverine Flooding
$1.9B EAL
#2
Tornado
$366.5M EAL
#3
Cold Wave
$225.6M EAL
#4
Heat Wave
$119.0M EAL
#5
Strong Wind
$100.5M EAL
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) EAL = Expected Annual Loss. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
National Flood Insurance Program claims across Ohio from FEMA NFIP data.
Total Claims
28,011
Total Paid
$369.2M
Avg Per Claim
$13.2K
Counties With Claims
88
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
Counties in Ohio
88 counties with FEMA disaster data.
Highest-risk counties by FEMA National Risk Index
Declaration counts above measure past federal action; FEMA's NRI is a composite of Expected Annual Loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. By that separate measure the highest-risk counties in Ohio are Franklin (98.1), Cuyahoga (98.0), Hamilton (96.3), Montgomery (92.7), Lucas (92.4). Compare any county's recorded history with the Historical Activity tool.
All 88 counties in Ohio are listed above.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Learn more about natural disaster risk, preparedness, and data interpretation.
Preparing for Natural Disasters
Essential steps to prepare your household for the most common natural hazards.
Hazard Risk by Region
How natural disaster risk varies across different US regions.
Climate Change & Disasters
How climate trends are changing the frequency and severity of natural disasters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What natural disasters affect Ohio?
Ohio is affected by severe storm, flood, tornado, snowstorm. The most common disaster type is Severe Storm, based on 60 FEMA disaster declarations on record.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Ohio had?
Ohio has received 60 FEMA disaster declarations, including 52 major disaster declarations. The declaration history covers several disaster types, including Severe Storm (24), Flood (17), Tornado (8).
What severe weather events are most common in Ohio?
The most common severe weather events in Ohio include thunderstorm wind (6,938 events), winter weather (2,101 events), hail (1,749 events). These NOAA storm events recorded from 2015 to 2025 have caused 71 fatalities and $969.9M in property and crop damage.
How active is Ohio's federal disaster declaration record?
Ohio has a moderate level of historical federal declaration activity, based on 60 FEMA declaration records. This band is not a future-risk forecast. Separately, NOAA storm events from 2015-2025 record 71 fatalities and 426 injuries. NOAA property and crop damage records total $969.9M.
How many flood insurance claims has Ohio had?
Ohio has 28,011 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims with $369.2M total paid out. Claims average $13.2K, with 88 counties reporting flood insurance claims.
Which counties in Ohio have the most disaster declarations?
Among 88 counties in Ohio, those with the most FEMA declaration records include Belmont (22 declarations), Jefferson (22 declarations), Monroe (22 declarations). County-by-county figures show where the state's federal declaration history concentrates.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025) FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025) For informational purposes only
What this means for Ohio
Belmont alone accounts for 37% of Ohio's FEMA disaster declarations, out of 88 counties tracked statewide.
- The declaration record is uneven within the state: Belmont and Jefferson carry the most FEMA declarations. Browse counties
- See how Ohio ranks against other states for disaster frequency and damage. State rankings
- Learn what FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and damage figures do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts and damage totals describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
PlainHazard derives this presentation from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries. Its county comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.