Sandusky

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Erie County, the county that contains Sandusky.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Erie County, the county that contains Sandusky.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Erie County, the county that contains Sandusky.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jun 22, 2006Flood$24.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Devastating and widespread flooding developed in Erie County on June 22nd as runoff from the heavy thunderstorm rains that fell during the evening of the 21st made it's way into area streams and rivers. Initially much of the flooding in the county was in urban areas where water several feet deep accumulated on streets and roads as a result of overwhelmed storm sewers and drainage ditches. But after the rain quit, this flooding diminished during the early morning hours of the 22nd. The improvement in conditions was short lived as runoff caused area streams and rivers to quickly rise as daybreak on the 22nd approached. By 5:30 a.m. evacuations were being conducted along the Huron…

2. Dec 22, 2004Winter Storm, Erie$3.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A record setting winter storm affected northern Ohio on December 22nd and 23rd. The impact and damage caused by this storm has been compared to the Blizzard of January 1978. Low pressure developed over eastern Texas early on the 22nd and then moved quickly northeast. The low eventually tracked across eastern Ohio during the morning hours of the 23rd after dumping nearly two feet of snow on portions of Ohio. The snow began around daybreak on the 22nd and then intensified around midday. Heavy snow with visibilities of a quarter mile or less then persisted into the early morning hours of the 23rd. Snowfall rates much of this time ranged from one to two inches per hour. Winds…

3. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Erie$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   High winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ike began during the early evening hours of September 14th and continued through late evening. Peak wind gusts were estimated to be around 60 mph with the strongest winds occurring between 6 and 8 pm. Damage in the county was extensive with hundreds of trees and many utility poles downed. Widespread power outages occurred as well with some customers without power for a few days. Many homes and buildings were damaged across the county. The damage ranged from a few shingles torn off to significant structural damage caused by fallen trees landing on roofs. Numerous vehicles were damaged by fallen trees and limbs and also from…

4. Aug 23, 2023Flash Flood$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread flooding across western and central Erie County, including the cities of Sandusky and Huron, Margaretta Township, Perkins Township, Oxford Township, and Huron Township. Officials estimated hundreds of homes impacted by basement flooding per local media reports. Widespread road closures due to flooding. Some of the roads impacted by flooding include US-6 from the Sandusky city limits to OH-269, Homegardner Road between OH-269 and Bardshar Road, Campbell Street at Pipe Creek, Old Railroad Road at Mills Creek, Bogart Road at Pipe Creek and at Patten Tract Road, Patten Tract Road at Fox Road and Mason Road, Ransom Road at Wood Road, and Hull Avenue at Lawrence Avenue. Huron…

5. Jul 5, 2026Flash Flood$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread flash flooding occurred on Kelleys Island late July 5, 2026 into early July 6, 2026. Impacts included flood damage to residences and local businesses in addition to numerous impassable roads due to flash flooding. Multiple roadways were washed out due to flash flooding. Three unofficial gages on the eastern part of the island recorded more than 14 inches of rain in about five hours across the island with hourly rainfall rates of 3 to 5 inches per hour at times.

6. Jun 5, 2016Thunderstorm Wind$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A thunderstorm downburst caused widespread wind damage in the northeast portion of Sandusky. The damage swatg was a half mile wide and approximately 2.25 miles long. Numerous large trees and limbs were brought down across the city with some falling on buildings causing roof damage. Numerous large trees were also downed at Battery Park and the Marina. Approximately 30 power poles were blown over on the causeway to Cedar Point. Some power lines landed on cars trapping 15 to 20 people in their vehicles. Power outages due to the downed lines caused Cedar Point to be closed for the following day. At least one site measured a wind gust to 76 mph. Estimated wind speeds based on damage…

7. Jun 21, 2006Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms dumped torrential rains on Erie County during the evening of June 21st. Rainfall rates with the stronger storms exceeded three inches per hour. As much as 7 to 9 inches of rain fell on Perkins Township with 4 to 6 inches over the remainder of the county. Most of this rainfall fell between 8 and 11 p.m. Devastating flash flooding occurred across the county as result of this rainfall. Perkins, Milan, Huron and Margaretta Townships were the hardest hit by the flooding. Rapid rises in water levels occurred in the county forcing the closure of dozens of roads and streets. Hundreds of people had to be evacuated from flood prone areas. The flooding was especially bad along…

8. Apr 9, 1998Storm Surge/Tide$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Northeast gales of 35 knots and water levels that peaked just below 100 inches above low water datum produced 10 to 14 foot waves which caused major damage along the lakeshore. Many lakeshore roads were not only flooded , but also covered with rocks and other debris that, in some places, had to be removed by bulldozers. In Ottawa County, ten houses were destroyed and over 200 others were damaged, streets in downtown Port Clinton were flooded and the dike system and gravel roads in the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge were badly damaged. Some evacuations took place at Whites Landing in Erie And Sandusky Counties and also at Wightmans Grove and Memory Marina in Sandusky County. A…

9. Sep 22, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Severe thunderstorm downburst winds caused substantial damage in Perkins Township, just south of the City of Sandusky, during the late evening hours of the 22nd. The damage was concentrated in an area just west of the Sandusky Mall. The thunderstorm winds were estimated to be around 70 mph. Forty to fifty homes in Perkins Township were damaged. A few homes had moderate damage but most of the damage was minor. A house nearly one hundred and fifty years old had its chimney knocked down from the severe winds. Another house had a roof collapse into the living room. A garage at another location collapsed after the roof was completely torn off. Other houses primarily had damage to their…

10. Jul 21, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$750,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Strong thunderstorm winds estimated to 70 miles per hour produced widespread damage in Milan. An estimated one thousand or more trees were downed in the area and the roofs of the town hall and police station were badly damaged.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

105°FJul 14, 1936

All-time low

−20°F2 times, most recently Jan 20, 1994

Warmest night

84°FAug 2, 2006

Coldest day

−8°FJan 19, 1994

Wettest day

6.01 inJul 12, 1966

Snowiest day

14.0 inFeb 28, 1984

Hottest year

2024mean 55.2°F

Coldest year

1967mean 47.4°F

Wettest year

201161.14 in

Driest year

202115.87 in

Station Sandusky (USW00014846), 584 ft elevation, 0.4 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1936 to August 31, 2026; 95.6% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Erie County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00014846.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.