Jackson County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Jackson County: 0.
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. May 10, 2011Flash Flood$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The emergency manager summed the event by saying, we had roads, bridges, culverts, everything with high water, and so many responders in rescue boats.||The Little Salt Creek basin was hard hit around the town of Jackson. Several homes were surrounded by water knee deep in the town of Jackson, plus in the villages of Oak Hill and Coalton. Basements were flooded. One resident had 3 feet of mud in their basement, saying, it occurred all in just 10 minutes. The resident said they had seen flooding, but nothing like this. Firefighters and deputy sheriffs evacuated about 100 people from their homes. One hard hit area was an apartment complex on Huron Street in the town of Jackson. One…

2. Mar 1, 1997Flash Flood$3.5 million
3. Jun 29, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Scattered locations throughout the county had large trees and branches blown down. Around 8,000 customers lost electric power. Even a nursing home facility did not have power restored until 4 days after the storm.||Damage assessment across the county included 2 homes destroyed and 2 with major damage. The public infrastructure damage assessment was around $600.000.

4. Jul 13, 2015Flash Flood$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Many roads became impassable. Water rescues from vehicles occurred around the communities of Coalton and Oak Hil. Evacuations occurred in the town of Jackson. Water collected in yards and around homes. Most of the damage reported to the county involved its road system. A few small roads had culverts washed out. Some of the flooded streams included Salt Lick and Four Mile.

5. Feb 16, 2003Ice Storm, Jackson$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A severe ice storm occurred, when 1 to 2 inches of ice from freezing rain accumulated on trees and power lines. The precipitation initially started as snow then changed to rain then freezing rain. The freezing rain was mixed with sleet at times. The storm finally ended as a period of snow on Monday, the 17th. Roads remained blocked by fallen branches and trees for several days. A Meigs County deputy sheriff said on the 17th, "We've got trees coming down about every 5 minutes". The city of Pomeroy was without electricity for 5 days, No electricity lead to water shortages. Refrigerated frozen foods spoiled. Governor Taft declared a state of emergency in Lawrence, Gallia, and Meigs…

6. Jun 29, 1998Flash Flood$450,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The second night of thunderstorms hit during Saturday night the 27th, into Sunday morning, the 28th. Portions of Athens, Washington, and Meigs Counties were hit hard by flooding from this round. The third night of thunderstorms was on Sunday the 28th into Monday the 29th. The final night was a bit further south and west, hitting Jackson County the hardest, but still affecting areas previously under water. Total three day rains of 6 to 12 inches fell from the East Branch of the Shade River across northeastern Meigs County on north, into the lower Muskingum River drainage. An unofficial rain gauge near Tuppers Plain of Meigs County reported 11.5 inches. An automatic rain gauge near…

7. May 10, 2003Flood, Jackson$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   On the 10th, several rounds of showers and thunderstorms crossed southeast Ohio. Flooding, gusty winds, hail, and even some funnel clouds occurred. The heaviest rains were across southern Jackson County on east, into Gallia County. Gallipolis had a 24 hour rain amount of 2.67 inches, ending at dawn on the 11th. Jackson County emergency officials reported a tributary to Huntingcamp Creek overflowed into 3 homes and 4 businesses around Oak Hill. Over recent years, the stream has seen more culverts installed. In Hamilton Township of Jackson County, several homes had flooded basements. The fire department rescued a person in a flooded car along Route 139.

8. May 4, 2012Flash Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Many roads were impassible. Several water rescues occurred from stalled vehicles. A woman was stranded in a park by high water and was rescued by boat. Businesses in the community of Jackson saw urban runoff get inside. This included the state motor vehicle registration building on Huron Street. Condominiums were also flooded on Huron Street.

9. Apr 9, 2015Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Barns and shell storage buildings with corrugated metal roofing were damaged. One side of a slanted roof to a cinder block building was blown off. The damage was east of Oak Hill, along Moriah Road and Route 279. Power poles were also brought down by fallen trees.

10. May 21, 2001Flash Flood$200,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The sheriff reported 20 roads flooded by small streams. A 300 acre freshwater impoundment near Oak Hill spilled over the dam, taking some rocks with it. Water came through the emergency spillway as it was designed. About 160 tons of limestone was trucked in, to reinforce the 15 foot dam. A state official said, "it was a catastrophic rainfall."

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

104°FJul 12, 1914

All-time low

−31°F2 times, most recently Jan 29, 1963

Warmest night

79°FJul 14, 1927

Coldest day

−5°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

4.89 inMar 2, 1997

Snowiest day

13.0 inApr 5, 1987

Hottest year

1955mean 56.0°F

Coldest year

1966mean 49.4°F

Wettest year

201160.49 in

Driest year

198724.92 in

Snowiest season

50.5 in1950-51

Station Jackson 3 Nw (USC00334004), 845 ft elevation, 5.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1914 to October 27, 2026; 95.7% 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 USC00334004.
• 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.