Ohio
In 2019, 19 tornadoes hit the Dayton area in a single night, including an EF4. Ohio sits where the Great Lakes, the Ohio River, and the Midwest tornado corridor converge. Lake-effect snow buries Cleveland. Flash floods race through river valleys. And ice storms shut down the rest.
Enter your Ohio ZIP for live alerts, forecasts, and county-specific data.
Know your region
Dayton, Cincinnati, Lima, the Miami Valley. The 2019 Memorial Day tornado outbreak produced 19 tornadoes including an EF4. The Great Flood of 1913 killed 360 people here. The Miami, Scioto, and Great Miami rivers flood after heavy rain.
Primary hazards: tornadoes, flooding, severe storms, heat
Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown, the Lake Erie snowbelt. Lake-effect snow from Lake Erie drops 60 to 100 inches per winter. The 2004 snow squall buried parts of the region. Ice storms cause widespread outages. The Cuyahoga River floods through Akron and Cleveland.
Primary hazards: lake-effect snow, ice storms, flooding, severe storms
Columbus, Zanesville, Athens, the Hocking Hills. Columbus faces urban flooding from overwhelmed storm drains. The Muskingum watershed floods during heavy rain. Southeast Ohio's hilly terrain channels flash floods through narrow valleys.
Primary hazards: flooding, severe storms, tornadoes, ice storms
Your hazard profile
Each links to a full guide with during-event protocol, recovery steps, and resources specific to OH.
The 2019 Dayton outbreak produced 19 tornadoes in one night, including an EF4 that damaged 3,000 structures. Ohio averages 19 tornadoes per year. Peak season is May and June.
Read the tornadoes guide →
Ohio's river system floods regularly. The Great Flood of 1913 killed 360 people. Flash flooding in urban areas develops quickly. The Ohio, Miami, Scioto, and Muskingum rivers are all flood-prone.
Read the flooding guide →
Straight-line winds, large hail, and the 2012 derecho caused widespread damage. Severe storms are a regular occurrence from spring through fall.
Read the severe thunderstorms guide →
Cleveland's lake-effect snow belt receives 60 to 100 inches per year. Ice storms in central and southern Ohio cause widespread outages. Polar vortex events bring dangerous wind chill.
Read the lake-effect and ice storms guide →
Summer heat waves with high humidity affect urban areas. Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland all experience heat island effects. Power demand strains the grid during peak events.
Read the heat waves guide →
Ohio resources
Ohio Emergency Management Agency. Coordinates disaster response and manages the state's emergency alert system.
Southwest Ohio forecasts. Severe weather warnings, tornado watches, and flood alerts for the Cincinnati and Dayton metros.
Northeast Ohio forecasts. Lake-effect snow warnings, winter storm advisories, and severe weather alerts for the Cleveland metro.
Statewide referral service. Disaster recovery, energy assistance, food banks, and housing resources.
May 27, 2019
On Memorial Day night 2019, a cluster of supercell thunderstorms produced 19 tornadoes across the Dayton, Ohio metro area. An EF4 with 170 mph winds damaged or destroyed 3,000 structures. One person died, which is remarkable given the scale. Many more survived because they were in basements.
The outbreak was unusual for Ohio. Nineteen tornadoes in one metro in one night exceeds any historical precedent for the area. The storms developed rapidly and moved fast. Warning lead time was adequate, but the sheer number of simultaneous tornadoes overwhelmed the ability to track them individually.
For every Ohio household, the Dayton lesson is that multiple tornadoes can hit the same area in the same night. Your safe room needs to work for the second and third warning, not just the first. Keep your weather radio on all night during severe weather outbreaks, not just until the first warning clears.