Hamilton County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Hamilton County: 13.
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.

River crests

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.

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 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 (34).

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Hamilton$96.6 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour were sustained for several hours. A gust to 61 mph was recorded at Lunken airport. Widespread damage occurred across the region, from trees being blown down on powerlines, to significant crop losses and structural damage. A woman was killed inside of her home in Mount Healthy by a falling tree.

2. Apr 9, 1999Tornado$82.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado began with F2 intensity in Blue Ash in the northeast corner of the county. This tornado moved through Montgomery, Symmes Township, and Loveland before entering Warren county. The intensity of the tornado was F2 and F3 at many points along the track, intensifying to a low end F4 while in Montgomery. The width of the tornado ranged from 100 yards to 1/4 mile wide. Four fatalities occurred; two in a home and the other two in vehicles. About 91 homes and apartments were destroyed along with 37 businesses. Additionally, 197 homes and apartments suffered major damage with 477 others also incurring damage. Twenty six businesses had major damage with 18 others also incurring damage.

3. Jul 17, 2026Flash Flood$7.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An estimated four to six inches of rain fell across the greater Cincinnati area, resulting in numerous reports of flash flooding. Street flooding was reported across numerous roads stretching from the Pleasant Ridge area down south through Mount Lookout and from U.S. Route 22 on east through Erie Avenue. ||Notable areas of flooding included high water over all southbound lanes of I-71 and numerous homes, businesses, cars, and busses inundated with several feet of water, mud, and debris causing significant damage. ||Additionally, the flooding resulted in several high water rescues and displaced individuals, including along Murray Road, Wall Street Road, and at a retirement…

4. Apr 19, 2002Hail$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major hail damage to homes, cars and buildings occurred in a swath from Montgomery and Blue Ash into Symmes Township and Loveland.

5. Apr 16, 1998Flash Flood$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall caused numerous roads to be closed. Also, Mill Creek overflowed its banks near Sharonville and Evandale. Many areas businesses received major damage due to the flood waters.

6. Mar 2, 1997Flood, Hamilton$4.0 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.

7. Jul 17, 2001Flash Flood$3.6 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   389 dwellings sustained damage due to flooding. Several businesses were flooded along Mill Creek in Sharonville. Two people, a young woman, 21, and her father, 48, died in their flooded basement in Fairfax, when Little Duck Creek flooded in their neighborhood. A young woman, 16, was swept away while attempting to escape a vehicle which had become trapped in high water on a bridge. Total estimate of public assistance is 3,565,315.

8. Aug 28, 2016Flash Flood$3.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Three occupied basement apartments in Norwood reported at least six feet of water in them and were categorized as destroyed. Seventeen other properties (in Norwood, Cincinnati, and St. Bernard) had major damage, mostly to lower level units, which had two to seven feet of water in them. Eight of them were located on Paddock Road and two more on Tennessee Avenue. At these locations, furnaces, water heaters and mechanical equipment were lost. Many windows were broken and carpet, furniture and personal belongings were ruined.||Six businesses were affected to varying degrees. One business is still closed, while the other 5 were closed temporarily. Over 650 structures suffered some type…

9. Jan 21, 2013Winter Weather, Hamilton$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Snow squalls in the region caused whiteout conditions, resulting in a 90 car pileup on I-275 on the northwest side of Cincinnati. The accident has been called the largest vehicle crash in Ohio history, involving 18 semi-trailers and 72 cars, trucks, and SUVs. A 12 year old girl was killed and 27 others were injured. The fatality occurred when a vehicle hit a median barrier made of wire. The girl was farther up the highway and outside of her vehicle that was involved in the pileup. When the car hit the wire barrier, the wire snapped further up the road and the girl was killed when it recoiled into her.

10. Jan 23, 1996Flood, Hamilton$2.0 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…

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 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, 7.2 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.

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 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.