Meigs County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

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 WV GS (5), NASA (3).

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. Jun 28, 1998Flash Flood$3.0 million
   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…

2. Sep 17, 2004Flood, Meigs$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Light rain spread north into southeast Ohio during the afternoon and evening hours of the 16th. The heavier rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan developed over Lawrence County before dawn on Friday the 17th, reaching the Athens and Marietta vicinity by 0900E on the 17th. By 1700E the heavy rain was pulling east and northeast, out of southeast Ohio. A rain event of 24 to 30 hours dumped 4 to 6.5 inches of rain. Some specific preliminary totals included Beverly 6.4 inches, McArthur 6 inches, McConnelsville 5.5 inches, Athens and Waterloo 5.1 inches, Marietta and Newport 4.8 inches, Gallipolis 4.3 inches, and Nelsonville 4 inches. Rains were not as heavy over central and northern…

3. Feb 16, 2003Ice Storm, Meigs$2.5 million
   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…

4. Jun 29, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Scattered locations had trees blown down. Around 9,400 customers lost electricity. A total of 3 homes were destroyed, which included mobile homes. Major damage was sustained by 28 homes. Minor damage to roofs and porches occurred to 44 homes. Six businesses had minor wind damage. A lot of the damage in the county was concentrated in the villages along the river near Pomeroy. Public buildings at the county fair grounds near Pomeroy were damaged. Two barns were destroyed and 6 others had heavy damage. The public infrastructure damage assessment was around $445,000.||Ten citizens were evacuated in Meigs County and 21 were sheltered, mainly because of the heat and no electricity…

5. Jan 7, 2005Flood, Meigs$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Separate waves of rain moved along a strong west to east frontal zone in the Ohio Valley, from late on the 3rd into the early morning hours of the 8th. To the south of the boundary, dew points were in the 50 to 55 degree range. The heaviest rain amounts were from Perry County on north and east into eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Preliminary 5 day totals were 5.2 inches for New Lexington, 4.6 inches at McConnelsville, 4.5 inches at Nelsonville, 4.2 inches at McArthur and Beverly, 3.4 inches at Athens, and 2.9 inches at Marietta. Small stream flooding started during the morning hours on the 5th, across Perry, Athens, Morgan, Vinton, and Washington Counties. Some of the…

6. Mar 2, 1997Flood, Meigs$1.5 million
7. Sep 16, 2010Tornado$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A new rotating supercell formed south of thunderstorm complex that caused the tornado and strong downburst in western Athens County. A new tornado formed. Significant structural damage to farm buildings and a few homes occurred along Eden Ridge Road. This road is also County Route 50. The tornado path then went across State Route 124 between community of Reedsville and Eden along the Ohio River. A majority of the mobile homes affected were in this vicinity. In addition, a well built single family home and its detached commercial grade garage were completely destroyed. The foundations of both structures were wiped clean. The EF3 damage included this area along State Route 124.…

8. Mar 1, 1997Flash Flood$800,000
9. Feb 17, 2018Flood$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The gage at Belleville Lock on the Ohio River entered moderate flooding, cresting at almost 43.5 feet on the evening of the 18th. At Belleville, moderate flood stage is 38 feet. Flooding began at Belleville just after midnight on the 17th, and the river dropped back below flood in the pre-dawn hours of the 20th. This high water closed several sections of Route 124, as well as a portion of Route 248 near Sand Hill.||The Ohio River gage at Racine Lock rose above its flood stage of 41 feet early on the 17th. The river surpassed moderate flooding, and almost reached its major flood stage of 48 feet, during its crest of 47.7 feet just after midnight on the 19th. The river dropped back…

10. Feb 18, 2000Flash Flood$700,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Rains of 2 to 4 inches fell in about an 18 hour period. A strong frontal zone was in the vicinity, as low pressure moved up the Ohio Valley. Southerly winds pulled low level moisture north from Tennessee and Kentucky . Surface dew points were in the 55 to 60 degree range south of the frontal boundary. Carpenter of western Meigs County had 4.1 inches, Gallipolis meausred 3.7 inches, Jackson 3.45 inches, Patriot, Salem Center, and Willow wood all had around 3.3 inches, while McArthur had 3.2 inches. A spotter network in Meigs County revealed 3.9 inches at Racine and 3.6 inches at Syracuse.Preliminary damage accessment figures from emergency management officials had 3 homes in Meigs…

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

113°FJul 21, 1934

All-time low

−28°FJan 19, 1994

Warmest night

80°FAug 12, 1937

Coldest day

1°FJan 19, 1994

Wettest day

4.96 inSep 10, 2026

Snowiest day

24.0 inJan 17, 1994

Hottest year

1990mean 58.3°F

Coldest year

1981mean 52.2°F

Wettest year

201858.70 in

Driest year

193024.70 in

Snowiest season

43.5 in1935-36

Station Gallipolis (USC00333029), 578 ft elevation, 19.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1934 to October 27, 2026; 94.0% 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 USC00333029.
• 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.