Mercer County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Mercer County: 3.
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.

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. May 27, 2019Tornado$15.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado appeared to have first touched down west of Celina, near the intersection of Township Line Road and Bunker Hill Road, where about half of a barn's metal roof was removed and strewn in a narrow path to the east-northeast. At least two other barns also lost nearly half of their metal roofing in the vicinity of Bunker Hill Road. Numerous trees in this area, with trunk diameters of 18 to 24 inches, were also snapped and blown down in various directions. This type of damage was consistent with wind speeds of up to 90 mph and associated with an EF1 tornado. ||The next damage occurred to homes and adjacent outbuildings along Mud Pike Road, immediately southeast of the…

2. Nov 5, 2017Tornado$11.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado developed in Delaware County, Indiana, near the town of Eaton and then moved across Blackford and Jay Counties in Indiana before crossing into Mercer County, Ohio at 1418EST near the intersection of St. Anthony Road and County Road 235 (see Storm data for Indiana, Central and Northeast, for more information on the beginning portion of this tornado in Indiana). The tornado traveled northeast in Mercer County for just more than 8 miles before terminating in a wooded area north of Carmel Church Road and west of Now Road. A few pieces of light debris were carried slightly further to the northeast, but the tornado is not believed to have been on the ground east of Now…

3. Nov 5, 2017Tornado$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Law enforcement initially observed a funnel cloud near the intersection of Main Street and Schunk Road in Celina. Just to the northeast of this report is where it appears the tornado first touched down, where multiple tree limbs were knocked down between Main Street and W Bank Road.||It is believed that the tornado then skirted Grand Lake St. Marys, producing minor tree and structural damage near the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Elmgrove Avenue. The tornado then likely moved back over a small portion of Grand Lake St. Marys before knocking down a fence and a few small trees at the back parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant on E Market Street. A one story home on Vine Street also…

4. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Mercer$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.

5. Jul 8, 2003Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding continued across the northern part of the county, with more snadbaggin in Rockford. Forty additional homes were evacuated in and around Rockford. Numerous roads remained flooded and closed.

6. Jun 18, 2021Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The first sign of tornadic damage was observed just east of the Indiana/Ohio state line. Trees were snapped along Park Road, indicative of EF0 tornado damage. The tornado then moved southeast and may have briefly lifted, before touching back down and leaving a noticeable swirl in a wheat field between St Joe Road and Wabash Road. The tornado intensified as it moved across Wabash Road, impacting the Fort Recovery Lumber Yard. Multiple roofs were completely lifted off several outbuildings. Additionally, a collapsed cinder block wall was observed at the Fort Recovery Lumber Yard. This was consistent with EF1 damage.||The tornado then continued moving southeast through wooded areas…

7. Jul 8, 2003Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding continued. From July 4 through July 8, close to 400 homes sustained some damage from the flooding. Most of the flood damage occurred from Rockford and Mendon south to Celina. Numerous roads and bridges were washed out across the county.

8. Jul 7, 2003Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding continued in Rockford, with total evacuations of around 300 homes. Numerous roads across the northern part of the county were flooded and closed. Several bridges were washed out. Flooding continued south of Celina where Beaver Creek remained out of its banks.

9. Jul 8, 2003Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The spillway to Grand Lake Saint Marys overflowed onto US Route 127 and surrounding homes and businesses. An athletic club and medical office were under several feet of water. Beaver Creek remained well out of its banks, causing additional flooding of homes further downstream.

10. Jul 8, 2003Flash Flood$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Major flooding continued across the county, with travel virtually at a standstill as many of the county roads were underwater. The worst flooding continued from Celina where Grand Lake Saint Marys was out of its banks, north to Rockford and Mendon with the Saint Marys River in record flood. Homes and businesses were flooded in Rockford, Celina, Mendon, and Montezuma.

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°FJun 28, 2012

All-time low

−23°F2 times, most recently Jan 19, 1994

Warmest night

81°FJul 16, 1988

Coldest day

−6°FDec 25, 1983

Wettest day

5.00 inJul 13, 1992

Snowiest day

12.0 inNov 2, 1966

Hottest year

2012mean 55.2°F

Coldest year

1978mean 49.0°F

Wettest year

200360.33 in

Driest year

196323.77 in

Snowiest season

77.8 in1977-78

Station Celina 3 Ne (USC00331390), 866 ft elevation, 5.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1956 to September 30, 2026; 96.3% 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 USC00331390.
• 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.