PlainHazard

Ohio heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 71 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 410 heat records in Ohio from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 28 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 20, 1999 heat in Adams County: 13 deaths. Ohio ranks 28th of 51 states and territories by count and 32nd of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Ohio, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
4101996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
28average
Deaths
160 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$24Kas filed
Busiest year
1999109 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in Ohio?

Ohio averages about 28 heat records a year since 2000, 28th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1999 (109). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Ohio records 100 heat records since 1996, 32nd of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 2320
  2. 2. Delaware 1555
  3. 3. Maryland 1330
  4. 4. Oklahoma 685
  5. 5. Illinois 590
  6. 6. Mississippi 584
  7. 7. Louisiana 576
  8. 8. Missouri 547
  9. 9. Tennessee 540
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 537
  11. 32. Ohio 100

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Ohio have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Perry County leads Ohio: 18 days with a heat record since 1996, 44.1 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Gallia County has the most heat records (19 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Perry County 44.1 (18)
  2. Vinton County 43.7 (18)
  3. Morgan County 43.2 (18)
  4. Jackson County 42.8 (18)
  5. Lawrence County 41.9 (19)
  6. Meigs County 41.9 (18)
  7. Gallia County 40.7 (19)
  8. Athens County 35.7 (18)
  9. Washington County 30.1 (19)
  10. Hamilton County 22.2 (9)
  11. Warren County 19.9 (8)
  12. Clermont County 17.7 (8)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in Ohio?

59% of its heat records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (179 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 45 · Feb 45 · Mar 18 · Apr 9 · May 0 · Jun 63 · Jul 179 · Aug 24 · Sep 9 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 18 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in Ohio?

Ohio: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1999-07-20 HeatAdams County · forecast zone Adams The last part of July was very hot and humid across the state with temperatures reaching into the 90s most days and above 100 for a few days. The dewpoints and overnight lows were in the 70s through much of the period. The excessive heat contributed to 10 deaths in the Cincinnati metro area and 3 in the Dayton metro ... 13 0 –
2012-07-01 HeatLicking County · forecast zone Licking Ongoing excessive heat from June 28 into early July combined with power outages from the June 29 derecho to produce dangerous heat related conditions in some areas. Although heat indices were not as high as late June, heat indices in the area generally ranged from 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit each day through July 7. ... 3 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in Ohio?

Ohio's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: Ohio and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeOhioUnited StatesOhio's share
1996-991544,3553.5%
2000s979,1631.1%
2010s15116,4450.9%
2020-26826,7960.0%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Ohio

The 2 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2012-07-01 HeatLicking County · forecast zone Licking 3 0 –
1999-07-20 HeatAdams County · forecast zone Adams 13 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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