Montgomery County

Every recorded tornado

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

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. May 27, 2019Tornado$500 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado initially touched down just west of Brookville and areas on the south side of Brookville sustained heavy damage, consistent with high-end EF2 wind speeds. Numerous homes suffered significant roof damage and removal, including exterior wall collapse and complete garage destruction. ||The tornado then carved a path east through Trotwood where damage consistent with EF2 wind speeds was widespread and some homes sustained damage consistent with EF3 wind speeds. Structures here again featured roof removal and exterior wall collapse. This was particularly true on the south side of Westbrook Road. A large number of homes and apartment complexes were impacted further east in…

2. Apr 9, 2001Hail$70.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Golf ball sized hail caused numerous reports of structural damage across the eastern part of the county, especially in Kettering

3. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Montgomery$63.7 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour were sustained for several hours. The Dayton International Airport measured a gust to 69 mph while a 60 mph gust was recorded in Vandalia. Widespread damage occurred across the region, from trees being blown down on powerlines, to significant crop losses and structural damage.

4. Oct 31, 2013Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down just northeast of Interstate 75 at Highway 40, exit number 63 in Vandalia. Initial damage consisted of the collapse of a cinderblock drive through store, and significant destruction of the roof and some of the cinderblocks on an uninhabited commercial building. This structure also had large plate glass windows blown in. Additional significant roof damage occurred to a neighboring business, as well as the snapping of some power poles. The tornado continued on to a restaurant, in which the windows were blown in and significant fa��ade and roof damage occurred. Eight people inside the restaurant sustained minor injuries from glass. In the restaurant…

5. May 27, 2019Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down initially just south of I-70, near Little York Road and Dog Leg Road, and traveled southeast. It produced damage consistent with EF2 wind speeds at several locations to the west of I-75, most notably on Cricket Lane and on Coppersmith Avenue in vicinity of Brantford Road. Several homes in this area had complete or near complete roof removal, with some collapse of an exterior wall. Tree damage was significant in this area as well. The tornado continued east while crossing I-75, where damage to businesses in this area was consistent with mostly EF1 and some low-end EF2 wind speeds. The tornado continued southeast and began to weaken and lift approximately in…

6. Jan 6, 1996Winter Storm, Montgomery$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…

7. May 27, 2019Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado first touched down in the Page Manor subdivision in Riverside, just west of the Montgomery/Greene County line. Damage to numerous trees and structures occurred in this area, including partial roof removal of several apartment complexes. This damage appeared to be caused by low-end EF2 winds. The tornado continued east into Greene County, before lifting about 5 miles north of Xenia at 2232EST. This tornado was rated as an EF3 based on damage that occurred in Greene County.

8. Apr 29, 1996Thunderstorm Wind$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Over 100 trees downed. Church steeple downed. .88 inch diameter hail. High winds caused 25,000 customers to lose electrical power. Winds around 100 mph snapped telephone poles at bases and ripped a roof off a building.

9. Mar 14, 2016Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado first touched down along Arlington Road just south of Potato Ridge Road where there was light damage to hardwood trees consistent with EF0 strength winds. The tornado then progressed north-northeast and crossed Sweet Potato Ridge Road and then Arlington Road, where it severely damaged a barn and woodshed. Just north of this location, a farm house on Baltimore Phillipsburg Pike had extensive damage with the entire roof lifted off from the upper level of the house. With consideration of the age of the home and roofing structure, the damage was consistent with high end EF1 damage. At this same property, a garage was shifted off its foundation with all walls collapsed and…

10. May 19, 2019Tornado$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The tornado first touched down in eastern Preble County at 1950EST about 1 mile southwest of West Alexandria. The tornado move northeast and crossed into Montgomery County at 1956EST along Preble County Line Road, about 1/4 mile south of Old Dayton Road. ||Two properties on the southwest corner of the intersection of Sheep Road and Old Dayton Road had damage that was observed to be among the more significant caused by this tornado. At the Old Dayton Road property, a barn had half of its roof completely removed, with failure to the doors and damage to the walls. A thick metal fence surrounding a pool was also blown over and several large trees were downed. At the Sheep Road…

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

102°F7 times, most recently Jul 7, 2012

All-time low

−25°F2 times, most recently Jan 19, 1994

Warmest night

80°FJul 16, 1988

Coldest day

−11°FJan 20, 1985

Wettest day

4.16 inJan 21, 1959

Snowiest day

12.4 inJan 25, 2026

Hottest year

2024mean 56.9°F

Coldest year

1958mean 49.9°F

Wettest year

199059.75 in

Driest year

196324.21 in

Snowiest season

62.7 in1977-78

Station Dayton International Airport (USW00093815), 993 ft elevation, 11.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 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.

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 USW00093815.
• 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.