Madison County

Every recorded tornado

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

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Madison$4.9 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour were sustained for several hours. 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. Feb 28, 2024Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado first touched down in Clark County at 0452EST, 5 miles south-southeast of Springfield. It moved east-northeast and crossed into Madison County at 0506EST, 2.3 miles west-southwest of Summerford. ||The tornado downed numerous trees and caused significant damage to several structures as it moved through western Madison County. Notable damage occurred at the Madison County Airport where one of the metal hangars was completely collapsed. There was also significant damage to several other hangars and planes at the airport. Based on the damage, winds were estimated to be 130 mph at this location. The tornado continued east from here, damaging other dwellings and trees. One…

3. Jan 6, 1996Winter Storm, Madison$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…

4. Feb 28, 2024Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado developed near State Route 665, east of London, and moved to the east-northeast. The tornado initially caused minor tree and structural damage, including a tipped over trailer. It then strengthened as it crossed Spring Valley Road and then across Glade Run Road, where it peaked in intensity as it crossed Wilson Road. At this location, a home lost part of its roof and tree damage was considerable, with snapped|off trunks. Damage in this area was consistent with wind speeds of around 110 mph.||The tornado continued across West Jefferson-Klousville Road and then onward to Olmstead Road. Additional damage meeting the EF1 category was found along Roberts Road, just…

5. May 15, 2001Lightning$220,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A barn fire in Oak Run Township was started by a lightning strike. The barn was destroyed.

6. Jun 1, 1997Flash Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms trained across the same areas with the northern part of the county being hit the hardest. Many area creeks and streams rose out of their banks and numerous roads were closed due to flooding.

7. Jun 29, 1998Flash Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   From 6 to 8 inches of rain fell across the eastern portion of the county, much of which fell in less than 6 hours. Numerous roads were flooded, especially around West Jefferson.

8. Jun 2, 1997Flash Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall fell for the third day in a row causing most county creeks and streams to rise further out of their banks. Numerous roads were closed due to the flooding.

9. Apr 3, 2018Tornado$60,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado appears to have touched down at a farm on Roberts Mill Road, where several barns sustained heavy damage. These barns had complete roof removal and the collapse of exterior walls. Barn roofing and wall material was thrown west- northwest across Roberts Mill Road into the tops of trees of adjacent properties, and strewn across fields on the west side of Roberts Mill Road. The damage is consistent with wind speeds around 85 mph.||Other barn damage observed on State Route 38 south of Newport, Old Xenia Road SW south of London, and on State Route 56 southeast of London, was all determined to be nontornadic with no conclusive components of typical tornado damage.

10. Jun 29, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A large pole barn was destroyed and numerous trees were downed due to thunderstorm winds.

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 14, 1954

All-time low

−22°FJan 19, 1994

Warmest night

79°FJul 30, 1999

Coldest day

−5°FJan 20, 1985

Wettest day

5.13 inJul 13, 1992

Snowiest day

15.5 inMar 8, 2008

Hottest year

2024mean 57.3°F

Coldest year

1976mean 49.6°F

Wettest year

201855.18 in

Driest year

196324.51 in

Snowiest season

56.4 in2013-14

Station John Glenn International Airport (USW00014821), 810 ft elevation, 27.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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 USW00014821.
• 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.