Mahoning County
Population 224,706 (2025) 412 sq mi
Mahoning County has recorded 18 tornadoes since 1950, 35th most of 88 counties in Ohio; the most recent was on September 4, 2022.
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 195018
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger4
- Major flood years since 19781
At a glance
The record for Mahoning County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Strongest tornado
F3
March 1, 1955, 2.5 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm Hugo, 1989, 0.0 miles away
Tornadoes
About one every 4.2 years since 1950, 2 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
March 1, 1955
F3, 2.5 mile path
40 yards wide; 1 killed along the whole path.
Deadliest
August 5, 1956
2 killed, F3
0 injured along the whole path.
Most recent
Sunday, September 4, 2022
EF0, 0.1 mile path
4 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Sep 4, 2022 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 5.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 21, 2003 | F1 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 9, 2001 | F2 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 9, 1999 | F1 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 15, 1995 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 15, 1993 | F1 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 1991 | F0 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 1991 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 1990 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 1990 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 27, 1987 | F2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 22, 1981 | F1 | 2.0 | 6 | 0 |
| Feb 16, 1976 | F2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 19, 1963 | F2 | 15.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 5, 1956 | F3 | 0.1 | 0 | 2 |
| Mar 22, 1955 | F1 | 5.1 | 3 | 0 |
| Mar 1, 1955 | F3 | 2.5 | 6 | 1 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Mahoning County: 3.
- 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
September 22, 1989
Hugo, Tropical storm
0.0 miles at closest approach, winds near 43 mph.
Most recent
September 19, 2003
Isabel, Post-tropical
11.5 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
| Isabel | 2003 | 11.5 | Post-tropical |
| Opal | 1995 | 22.2 | Post-tropical |
| Hugo | 1989 | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Frederic | 1979 | 64.9 | Tropical storm |
| Connie | 1955 | 79.1 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1928 | 82.8 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1915 | 61.4 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1902 | 32.9 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1896 | 87.7 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1888 | 91.5 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1878 | 74.3 | Post-tropical |
- 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: 55 days
Heavy smoke on 18 days in 2023, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
16.0 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
16 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 28 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
305 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $2.8 million paid.
Most claims in one year
1982: 25 claims
$111,000 paid.
2nd most
1980: 24 claims
$71,000 paid.
3rd most
1992: 22 claims
$150,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 44512 | 141 | $752,000 |
| 44515 | 73 | $407,000 |
| 44505 | 18 | $1.1 million |
| 44514 | 16 | $58,000 |
| 44406 | 15 | $280,000 |
| 44452 | 9 | $143,000 |
| 44511 | 9 | $18,000 |
| 44509 | 7 | $13,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood19
- Flood19
- Heavy Rain2
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 21, 1959
Crab Creek at Youngstown, 16.90 ft
4.90 feet above the 12.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
February 18, 2022
Mahoning River at Youngstown, 16.59 ft
Moderate flooding.
River gauges
| Crab Creek at Youngstown | 12.0 | 16.90 ft | 1 |
| Mahoning River at Lake Milton | 950.4 | — | 0 |
| Mahoning River at Youngstown | 14.0 | 17.49 ft | 0 |
| Mahoning River below Berlin Dam | 5.4 | — | 0 |
| Mahoning River below Lake Milton at Pricetown | 8.1 | — | 0 |
- 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 94 of 1,581 months since 1895 (6%); the longest spell lasted 22 months.
94
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
40
Months in extreme drought
6%
Share of all months, severe or worse
6
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
July 1934
−5.83, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
22 months
June 1962 to March 1964.
Latest month
September 2026
+1.54, slightly wet
Last severe month: June 1992.
- 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
5 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 5.2 in 1998.
1
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
16
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
5
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
2
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
September 25, 1998
The 1998 Pymatuning, Pennsylvania Earthquake; 25.9 miles away, 3.1 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
March 30, 2024
Magnitude 3.0
2 km SSW of Maple Ridge, Ohio; 1.5 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Jun 10, 2019 | 4.0 | 44.4 |
| Dec 31, 2011 | 4.0 | Inside |
| Sep 25, 1998 | 5.2 | 25.9 |
| Jan 31, 1986 | 5.0 | 36.6 |
| Mar 8, 1943 | 4.5 | 37.6 |
- 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
2
Landslides mapped, probable or better
2
With a recorded date
1
Source inventory
Mapped by NASA (2).
- 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
587 events in the National Weather Service record, 484 of them since 1996.
55
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
1
Hail, 2 inches or larger
200
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
41
Winter weather events since 1996
2
Heat events since 1996
9
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
July 28, 1999
2.00 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
April 9, 2001
98 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 3 | 2 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Jul 21, 2003Flood, Mahoning$10.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy thunderstorm rains on July 21st caused the Mahoning River to go into flood at Youngstown. The river went above the flood stage of 10.0 feet at 11 p.m. on the 21st. The river crested at 17.49 feet at 7 a.m. on the 23rd and fell back below flood state at 10 p.m. on the 25th. The crest was the highest in Youngstown since January 22nd, 1959. Significant flooding occurred in the city with dozens of homes and businesses damaged. Industrial areas east of U.S. Highway 62 were very hard hit and water reached a depth of nearly four feet along the railroad tracks traversing the area.
- Jul 27, 2003Flash Flood$8.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Thunderstorms dumped up to three inches of rain on Mahoning County. Rainfall rates of nearly two inches per hour were reported. With the ground still saturated from flooding the previous week, small streams and creeks in the county quickly rose and flooded many areas. The north and east sides of Youngstown were among the hardest hit areas in the county. Extensive urban and lowland flooding occurred in these areas. Around 9 p.m. a fire truck responding to a fire on Andrews Avenue on the east side of Youngstown was washed off the road by flood waters up to two feet deep. 17 buildings on the Youngstown State University campus were damaged by flooding. Severe flooding also occurred in…
- Sep 4, 2022Flash Flood$4.5 million
National Weather Service narrative
Widespread flash flooding across the Boardman area. Local dispatch, local media, and the local stormwater district reported over 250 residences that experienced basement flooding, with a few reports of water filling entire basements. Widespread street flooding with reports of dozens of car stranded in high water as high as three feet deep. Radar estimated rainfall totaled up to 4.5 in just under a three hour period, which has a 0.2% chance or less probability of annual occurrence per NOAA Atlas 14. Instantaneous rates of up to 6 per hour were observed, with a peak 15 minute rainfall accumulation around 1.25.
- Jul 5, 2026Thunderstorm Wind$4.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A National Weather Service Storm Survey team has determined that a macroburst with straight-line damage of 90 mph occurred in Mahoning County on July 5, 2026, extending for over 10 miles with a path width of over 3 miles. As the EF-1 tornado cycled out across the region, a significant rear flank downdraft formed and increased in intensity, causing substantial straight-line wind damage across a larger portion of Mahoning County. Winds up to 90 mph caused extensive tree, power pole, and power line damage across Austintown Township, Canfield Township, Boardman, and Poland. This phenomenon is called a macroburst and extended for over 10.25 miles and had a maximum path width of 3.3…
- Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Mahoning$3.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
High winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ike began during the early evening hours of September 14th and continued through late evening. Peak wind gusts were estimated to be around 60 mph with the strongest winds occurring between 6 and 8 pm. Damage in the county was extensive with hundreds of trees and many utility poles downed. At 6:45 PM EDT the Milton Township Fire Department received a call of an overturned boat on Lake Milton in western Mahoning County. Two of the three men on the boat were rescued from the lake which had waves of around six feet. The body of the third man, a 34 year old, was recovered from the lake on Wednesday the 17th. Widespread power outages…
- May 28, 2019Flash Flood$3.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
From 4:30 p.m. until around 8 p.m., a line of heavy rain stalled along Route 224 from Poland all the way to Canfield in Mahoning County. The hardest hit areas were Boardman, Poland, and Canfield. As four or five inches of rain fell in just a few hours, water was waist-deep in many areas. Hardest hit were the neighborhoods of Glendale, Rockdale and Locust avenues off of Route 224, across from the Boardman Plaza in Canfield. There were a number of ground-floor and basement apartments along Indian Run Drive inundated. Canfield Village Middle and High Schools were closed for several days due to flooding. In total over 550 homes and businesses were impacted. Thirty one sustained major…
- Jul 5, 2026Flash Flood$3.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Widespread flash flooding occurred in the Austintown and Boardman areas on July 5, 2026. Impacts across the area include widespread basement flooding, several areas of standing water of several feet in parking lots, causing damage to vehicles, and road closures due to flooding. Kirk Run Creek overflowed its banks and flooded a parking lot and gymnasium of a church and school.||Radar estimated rainfall of 1 to 2 inches occurred in a 30 to 60 minute period with rainfall rates as high as 4 to 5 inches per hour during peak intensity.
- Dec 22, 2004Winter Storm, Mahoning$2.2 million
National Weather Service narrative
A potent winter storm affected northern Ohio on December 22nd and 23rd. Low pressure developed over eastern Texas early on the 22nd and then moved quickly northeast. The low eventually tracked across eastern Ohio during the morning hours of the 23rd after dumping nearly two feet of snow on portions of Ohio. The snow began in northeastern Ohio late on the morning of the 22nd and then intensified during the afternoon. Visibilities during the evening hours were near zero at times. After midnight, warmer air moved into the area and caused the snow to first mix with, and then change completely to freezing rain. Temperatures briefly climbed above freezing around daybreak on the 23rd…
- Jun 23, 2015Flash Flood$2.2 million
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rainfall of 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rain fell across mainly central Mahoning County during the morning of June 23rd. Lowellville received significant damage to McGill Street between Walnut and Wood Streets with the road considered to be a total loss. The drainage system could not handle the flow of water and caused the road to buckle in several locations. Several streets were flooded in Lowellville, Struthers, and Boardman. Numerous retention ponds, back yards, and basements were also flooded. The Yellow Creek in Struthers overflowed it's banks. In Poland Township the Canterbury Creek also flooded some 13 homes on their first floor. An unofficial rain gauge in the area recorded…
- Jul 22, 2003Flash Flood$2.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
For the second day in a row, heavy thunderstorm rains fell on Mahoning County. Two to locally four inches of rain fell on the county during the day. Rainfall rates approached two inches per hour during the evening hours. With the soil already saturated, this rain led to widespread flooding across the county. Boardman and the southern portion of Youngstown were the hardest hit areas. In Boardman, 15 homes had water up to the top of the first floor. Three other homes were destroyed when their basement walls collapsed. Over 60 roads had to closed due to flooding. Many homes and roads were also damaged in Youngstown. Dozens of vehicle became stranded in flood waters. There were…
- 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 Youngstown-warren Regional Airport, 14.3 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1934.
- All-time high
- 103°FJul 10, 1936
- All-time low
- −22°FJan 19, 1994
- Warmest night
- 81°FAug 17, 1938
- Coldest day
- −6°FJan 19, 1994
- Wettest day
- 4.65 inJul 21, 2003
- Snowiest day
- 17.2 inJan 24, 1948
- Hottest year
- 2024mean 53.4°F
- Coldest year
- 1980mean 46.2°F
- Wettest year
- 201154.01 in
- Driest year
- 196323.79 in
- Snowiest season
- 118.7 in2010-11
Median first snow
November 5
Earliest: October 2, 2003
Median last snow
April 10
Latest: May 16, 1956
0 of 84 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Youngstown-warren Regional Airport (USW00014852), 1,167 ft elevation, 14.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1934 to October 26, 2026; 99.9% 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
12 since 1953. The most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, March 31, 2020.
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | DR-4507-OH |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3457-OH |
| Jun 18, 2019 | Tornado | DR-4447-OH |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | EM-3346-OH |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3250-OH |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Severe Storm | DR-1556-OH |
| Jun 3, 2004 | Severe Storm | DR-1519-OH |
| Aug 1, 2003 | Tornado | DR-1484-OH |
| Jul 15, 2003 | Severe Storm | DR-1478-OH |
| Aug 4, 1992 | Severe Storm | DR-951-OH |
| Jun 6, 1990 | Severe Storm | DR-870-OH |
| Jan 26, 1978 | Snowstorm | EM-3055-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 Mahoning County stands among 88 counties in Ohio and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 18 | 35 / 88 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 2 | 18 / 88 |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 1 | 25 / 88 |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 0 | — |
| Flood insurance claims | 305 | 28 / 88 |
| Flood insurance paid | $2.8 million | 32 / 88 |
| Disaster declarations | 12 | 65 / 88 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 40 | 70 / 88 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 379 | 25 / 88 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 41 | 71 / 88 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $71.9 million | 23 / 88 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 1 | 38 / 88 |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 94 | 80 / 88 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 16.0 | 53 / 88 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 5 | 2 / 88 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 1 | 15 / 88 |
Neighbouring counties
| Columbiana County | 21 | 2 |
| Lawrence County PA | 12 | 1 |
| Mercer County PA | 24 | 2 |
| Portage County | 19 | 1 |
| Stark County | 18 | 1 |
| Trumbull County | 23 | 1 |
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 USW00014852.
- 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.