Clermont County
Population 216,977 (2025) 453 sq mi
Property owners in Clermont County have filed 623 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, 12th most of 88 counties in Ohio.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths since 195026
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger3
- Major flood years since 19784
At a glance
The record for Clermont County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Strongest tornado
F4
April 23, 1968, 24.1 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm (unnamed), 1888, 28.0 miles away
Federal disaster declarations
19
Most recent: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Landslides, 2026
DetailsTornadoes
About one every 2.9 years since 1950, 4 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
April 23, 1968
F4, 24.1 mile path
300 yards wide; 1 killed along the whole path.
Deadliest
August 9, 1969
4 killed, F3
247 injured along the whole path.
Most recent
Friday, March 3, 2023
EF0, 1.3 mile path
3 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Mar 3, 2023 | EF0 | 1.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 6, 2022 | EF2 | 4.8 | 2 | 0 |
| Jul 6, 2022 | EF1 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 8, 2020 | EF0 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 8, 2020 | EF0 | 8.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 24, 2018 | EF1 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 26, 2017 | EF1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 1, 2017 | EF1 | 6.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 7, 2012 | EF0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 20.4 | 13 | 3 |
| May 23, 2011 | EF0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 30, 2009 | EF0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 11, 2006 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 11, 2006 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 24, 1999 | F0 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F3 | 12.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 8, 1996 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 5, 1995 | F1 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F2 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 8, 1980 | F1 | 5.1 | 2 | 0 |
| Jun 12, 1978 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 12, 1978 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 24, 1976 | F0 | 10.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 9, 1969 | F3 | 22.2 | 247 | 4 |
| Apr 23, 1968 | F4 | 24.1 | 33 | 1 |
| Apr 15, 1953 | F1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Clermont County: 4.
- 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.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
1 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
August 21, 1888
Unnamed storm, Tropical storm
28.0 miles at closest approach, winds near 52 mph.
Most recent
October 5, 1995
Opal, Post-tropical
35.2 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
- 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.
Wildfire and smoke
No large wildfire has been mapped here since satellite mapping began in 1984.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2023: 52 days
Heavy smoke on 12 days in 2023, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
16.3 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
9 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 36 so far in 2026.
- 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.
Floods and flood insurance
623 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $10.2 million paid.
Most claims in one year
1997: 321 claims
$6.5 million paid.
2nd most
1979: 65 claims
$92,000 paid.
3rd most
1978: 44 claims
$70,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 45157 | 390 | $6.4 million |
| 45153 | 75 | $1.2 million |
| 45140 | 34 | $447,000 |
| 45103 | 25 | $185,000 |
| 45156 | 21 | $295,000 |
| 45150 | 18 | $453,000 |
| 45112 | 13 | $157,000 |
| 45176 | 7 | $697,000 |
| 45245 | 6 | $9,564 |
| 45102 | 5 | $9,664 |
| 45121 | 5 | $91,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood89
- Flood69
- Heavy Rain2
2 deaths recorded in flood events since 1996.
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
Most severe crest
January 26, 1937
Ohio River at Meldahl Dam, 76.00 ft
25.00 feet above the 51.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
March 5, 1997
Ohio River at Meldahl Dam, 62.50 ft
Moderate flooding.
River gauges
| East Fork Little Miami River at Perintown | 19.0 | 23.84 ft | 0 |
| Little Miami River at Milford | 17.0 | 30.50 ft | 2 |
| Ohio River at Meldahl Dam | 51.0 | 76.00 ft | 3 |
- 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.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 121 of 1,581 months since 1895 (8%); the longest spell lasted 13 months.
121
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
49
Months in extreme drought
8%
Share of all months, severe or worse
2
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
February 1931
−6.46, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
13 months
May 1934 to May 1935.
Latest month
September 2026
+3.54, very wet
Last severe month: January 2011.
- 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.
Earthquakes and landslides
2 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 5.0 in 1980.
0
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
8
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
2
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
1
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
July 27, 1980
2 km SW of Sharpsburg, Kentucky; 40.6 miles away, 6.2 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
December 12, 2021
Magnitude 3.0
2 km E of Manchester, Ohio; 26.0 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Sep 6, 1988 | 4.6 | 45.1 |
| Jul 27, 1980 | 5.0 | 40.6 |
- 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).
- 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
6
Landslides mapped, probable or better
6
With a recorded date
1
Source inventory
Mapped by NASA (6).
- 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.
Severe weather and other events
846 events in the National Weather Service record, 769 of them since 1996.
47
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
3
Hail, 2 inches or larger
298
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
129
Winter weather events since 1996
8
Heat events since 1996
4
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
July 14, 2000
2.50 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
April 8, 2020
90 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 6 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Clermont$22.6 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.
- Mar 2, 2012Tornado$5.7 million
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.…
- Jul 6, 2022Tornado$3.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The tornado touched down along Blue Sky Drive where several barns were damaged and multiple trees were uprooted and snapped. Additional damage consisting of dozens of snapped and uprooted trees occurred just southeast of the Huntley Road and Goshen Road intersection.||As the tornado approached Goshen, it rapidly strengthened and grew to around 500 yards in width. The tornado crossed Main Street, just to the west of State Route 28, causing significant damage to a couple of businesses. An insurance agency completely lost its roof and several of the exterior walls collapsed. A woman inside the business was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The large and…
- Mar 2, 1997Flood, Clermont$3.0 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.
- Apr 19, 2002Hail$2.5 million
National Weather Service narrative
Hail damage to homes, barns, and cars occurred across the northwest part of the county, from Loveland and Miami Township to Goshen.
- Jul 2, 1997Tornado$2.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A multiple vortex tornado tracked across the southern part of the county. The tornado damaged or destroyed 56 mobile homes and 27 single family homes. Several barns and sheds were destroyed and numerous trees were downed. No serious injuries or deaths occurred with this tornado.
- Jul 17, 2001Flash Flood$1.8 million
National Weather Service narrative
Eleven bridges along county and township roads sustained damage in Miami, Goshen, Wayne and Gardner Townships. Four hundred homes, four businesses, two public buildings and more than two dozen cars, driveways and private bridges were damaged due to the high water. Total estimate of public assistance is 1,786,058.
- Jan 23, 1996Flood, Clermont$1.0 million
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…
- Jan 6, 1996Winter Storm, Clermont$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…
- Jun 10, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
Numerous large trees were reported down. In Miami Township, a roof was torn off of a house causing extensive damage. One of the trees that fell landed on a mobile home.
- 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.
Weather records
From Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Field, 10.8 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1949.
- All-time high
- 105°FJul 30, 1999
- All-time low
- −22°FJan 19, 1994
- Warmest night
- 80°F3 times, most recently Jul 21, 1983
- Coldest day
- −2°FJan 20, 1985
- Wettest day
- 4.73 inMar 9, 1964
- Snowiest day
- 10.0 inMar 1, 1980
- Hottest year
- 2024mean 57.9°F
- Coldest year
- 2014mean 51.9°F
- Wettest year
- 195058.96 in
- Driest year
- 198728.67 in
Station Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Field (USW00093812), 475 ft elevation, 10.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1949 to October 24, 2026; 99.6% 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.
Federal disaster declarations
19 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Landslides, October 2, 2026.
| Oct 2, 2026 | Flood | DR-4945-OH |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | DR-4507-OH |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3457-OH |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | EM-3346-OH |
| Jul 13, 2011 | Severe Storm | DR-4002-OH |
| Oct 24, 2008 | Severe Storm | DR-1805-OH |
| Apr 24, 2008 | Snowstorm | EM-3286-OH |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3250-OH |
| Feb 15, 2005 | Severe Storm | DR-1580-OH |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Severe Storm | DR-1556-OH |
| Aug 27, 2001 | Severe Storm | DR-1390-OH |
| Mar 4, 1997 | Severe Storm | DR-1164-OH |
| Jun 24, 1996 | Flood | DR-1122-OH |
| Jan 27, 1996 | Flood | DR-1097-OH |
| Jun 6, 1990 | Severe Storm | DR-870-OH |
| Jan 26, 1978 | Snowstorm | EM-3055-OH |
| Feb 2, 1977 | Snowstorm | EM-3029-OH |
| Jun 5, 1968 | Flood | DR-243-OH |
| May 4, 1968 | Tornado | DR-238-OH |
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.
How this compares
Where Clermont County stands among 88 counties in Ohio and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 26 | 18 / 88 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 4 | 4 / 88 |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 1 | 25 / 88 |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 0 | — |
| Flood insurance claims | 623 | 12 / 88 |
| Flood insurance paid | $10.2 million | 7 / 88 |
| Disaster declarations | 19 | 8 / 88 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 160 | 6 / 88 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 448 | 13 / 88 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 129 | 14 / 88 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $46.7 million | 32 / 88 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 5 | 18 / 88 |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 121 | 33 / 88 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 16.3 | 51 / 88 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 2 | 38 / 88 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 0 | — |
Neighbouring counties
| Bracken County KY | 7 | 1 |
| Brown County | 27 | 2 |
| Campbell County KY | 3 | 1 |
| Clinton County | 36 | 0 |
| Hamilton County | 18 | 0 |
| Pendleton County KY | 9 | 1 |
| Warren County | 35 | 0 |
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- 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 USW00093812.
- 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.