Brown County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Brown County: 1.
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.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 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.

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.

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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by NASA (2).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

Costliest events since 1996

1. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Brown$5.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour were sustained for several hours. Wind gusts over 60 mph were common. Widespread damage occurred across the region, from trees being blown down on powerlines, to significant crop losses and structural damage.

2. Jul 18, 2015Flash Flood$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms developed across Brown County around 2100EST. A rain gauge near Red Oak received 2.4 inches of rain between 2120EST and 2205EST. Flooding started in the Georgetown area around 2140EST, when 6 people were stranded in multiple vehicles along State Route 125 due to rapidly rising water on Straight Creek. Over the next hour, numerous water rescues occurred throughout much of Brown County. By 2220EST, 3.0 inches of rain had fallen at the Red Oak gauge. Between 2200EST and 2300EST, Red Oak Creek rapidly rose out of its banks and caused widespread damage to homes and roads along the creek from Red Oak to where the creek enters the Ohio River in Ripley. Over 30 homes were…

3. Mar 2, 1997Flood, Brown$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall occurred across Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky on the 1st and 2nd with areas along the Ohio river receiving up to 12 inches of rainfall. The river rose rapidly reaching a crest of 59.8 feet at Portsmouth at 1000 pm on the 4th. Flood stage is 50.0 feet. Further downstream at Meldahl Dam, the river crested at 61.3 feet at 700 pm on the 6th. Flood stage is 51.0 feet. In Cincinnati, the river crested at 64.7 feet at 1100 pm on the 5th. Many towns were flooded from Portsmouth to Cincinnati and thousands of people were evacuated from their homes for several days.

4. Mar 1, 1997Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Estimated rainfall as high as 12 inches in less than 36 hours over the southeastern part of the county caused many creeks and streams to overflow their banks. The waters rose into several homes causing evacuations to occur. Also, numerous roads were flooded and some bridges were washed out. A man was killed on State Route 763 when he climbed from his car after it became surrounded by water. He was swept away by the swift currents.

5. Jul 17, 2001Flash Flood$586,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Damage was reported to State Route 131 and other county roads, with eight to ten bridges washed out.

6. Jul 6, 2022Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down west of Woodward Road in Brown County, affecting areas of|Woodland Drive before crossing State Route 131. At this point the tornado was in its formative stages, with mainly EF-0 rated damage across State Route 131 and Black Oak Road. Within the Lake Lorelei community, the tornado strengthened and produced extensive tree damage in neighborhoods on the west side of Lake Lorelei. Many mature, tall trees were snapped or uprooted, some of which fell on homes and vehicles. Roof damage also occurred, as well as porches uplifted on a few homes. The tornado continued northeast across Lake Lorelei and began to weaken as it exited the Lake Lorelei community and…

7. Mar 2, 2012Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado initially touched down in south central Campbell County at 1639 EST near Peach Grove Road and crossed Fisher Road northwest of Peach Grove. The tornado then crossed into Pendleton County at 1641 EST after producing high end EF3 damage along Reid Ridge Road near the Campbell and Pendleton County line. The tornado then moved across Mays Road producing significant and widespread EF2 to low end EF3 damage. The tornado then crossed AA highway and eventually the Ohio River, after crossing Kentucky Highway 8. Based on the damage surveyed, the maximum wind speed of the tornado was estimated to be 160 miles per hour in Campbell County and 140 miles per hour in Pendleton County.…

8. Jan 23, 1996Flood, Brown$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   By the 23rd many tributaries to the Ohio river had already crested and were receding back within their banks. However, a significant rain event occurred on the 23rd bringing over 2 inches of rain to South Central areas with lesser amounts to the north. Many tributaries were pushed back into flood on the 24th, and the flood crest moved downstream on the Ohio river. While most tributaries only experienced minor to moderate flooding, backwater flooding from the Ohio resulted in major flooding along some of the tributaries. The Little Miami river was flooded particularly bad just east of Cincinnati. Evacuations took place near the confluence of the Ohio and Little Miami rivers on the…

9. Jan 6, 1996Winter Storm, Brown$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Blizzard of '96 developed near the Gulf Coast and moved up the East Coast. This massive system produced the greatest total and 24 hour snowfall at Greater Cincinnati\Northern Kentucky airport. This one storm brought 14.3 inches of snowfall to the airport which normally receives 23 inches for an entire season. The heaviest snow fell near the Ohio river in the extreme south. The worst blizzard conditions occurred over West Central areas as dry and powdery snow was blown around by high winds causing whiteouts. Some areas had more than 30 continuous hours of snowfall, and many people in Southern Ohio felt this was the worst winter storm since the Blizzard of '78. In Fayette…

10. Jul 22, 2017Flash Flood$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Four to five inches of rain produced widespread flash flooding across southeastern Brown County. Damage to several roads was reported throughout Huntington Township and a bridge at Stringtown and Flaugher Hill Roads sustained damage. One vehicle was washed down a creek and numerous vehicles were stranded in high water.

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

108°FJul 22, 1901

All-time low

−25°F2 times, most recently Jan 20, 1994

Warmest night

79°FJun 10, 2010

Coldest day

−5°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

6.34 inJul 23, 2017

Snowiest day

16.0 inJan 17, 1994

Hottest year

1921mean 59.0°F

Coldest year

1963mean 49.6°F

Wettest year

201162.44 in

Driest year

193020.34 in

Snowiest season

43.6 in1917-18

Station Maysville Wwtp (USC00155243), 515 ft elevation, 19.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1896 to October 19, 2026; 88.0% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USC00155243.
• 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.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• 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.