Seneca County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Seneca County: 6.
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.

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. Nov 10, 2002Tornado$12.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An F1 tornado touched down southwest of Tiffin near the Seneca County Airport. The tornado moved east northeast and strengthened to F3 intesity as it crossed U.S. Highway 224 and moved into Tiffin. The Honey Creek subdivision along County Road 19 near US 224 was hard hit. Six homes on Nantucket Drive in the subdivision were destroyed and many other homes damaged. As the tornado continued across the southern part of Tiffin it leveled a business along State Route 231 and destroyed several homes on Siesta Drive just east of State Route 231. A retirement community along St. Francis Avenue and just north of Siesta Drive was also hard hit by the tornado. Eight homes in the community…

2. Jan 5, 2005Ice Storm, Seneca$7.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   For the second time in just over two weeks, a devastating and historic winter storm affected Northern Ohio. Significant ice accumulations occurred over most of the area downing thousands of trees, causing widespread power outages and making travel nearly impossible. Low pressure over Missouri moved rapidly northeast on January 5th. This low moved across eastern Ohio early on January 6th and was responsible for producing a prolonged period of freezing rain. A mixture of rain and snow changed to freezing rain from west to east during the early morning hours of the 5th. Periods of freezing rain then continued for the remainder of the 5th and through the early morning hours of the…

3. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Seneca$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   High winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ike began during the late afternoon hours of September 14th and continued through the evening hours. A peak wind gust of 69 mph was measured at Tiffin around 5:15 pm. Damage in the county was extensive with thousands of trees and many utility poles downed. Widespread power outages occurred as well with some customers without power for several days. Many homes and buildings were damaged across the county. The damage ranged from a few shingles torn off to significant structural damage caused by fallen trees landing on roofs. Numerous vehicles were damaged by fallen trees and limbs and also from flying debris. This storm hampered…

4. Dec 22, 2004Winter Storm, Seneca$2.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A record setting winter storm affected northern Ohio on December 22nd and 23rd. The impact and damage caused by this storm has been compared to the Blizzard of January 1978. 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 around daybreak on the 22nd and then intensified around midday. Heavy snow with visibilities of a quarter mile or less then persisted into the early morning hours of the 23rd. Snowfall rates much of this time ranged from one to two inches per hour. Winds…

5. Aug 20, 2007Flood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy thunderstorm rains fell on Seneca County on August 19th through the 21st. Widespread flooding occurred across the county with the worst conditions reported in northern Seneca County. A spotter in the northwestern corner of the county reported 6.30 inches of rain between 8 am on the 19th and 3 pm on the 20th. A Cooperative Observer in Tiffin measured a three day total of 4.45 inches. Significant flooding occurred along all of the major rivers and steams in the county. The Sandusky River left it's banks in Tiffin and flooded portions of 5th and 6th Avenues. Many homes on these streets were damaged by flooding. Wolf Creek left it's bank near Bettsville and caused a lot of…

6. Feb 28, 2011Flash Flood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Portions of the Heidelberg University campus in Tiffin and the local YMCA were flooded as Rock Creek came out of it's banks. Waist deep water was reported in the Clinton Mobile Home park. The Riverbend Apartments experienced flooding in the lower-level apartments. At least 30 vehicles were damaged by flooding on the Heidelberg campus. Two drivers were rescued from submerged vehicles on county road 16 in Bloomville. One rescue occurred at US 224 just east of county road 17. Additional water rescues occurred at SR 19, CR 16, and TR 218.

7. Nov 10, 2002Tornado$1.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   After lifting in downtown Fostoria (near the Hancock County border) the tornado touched down again on the northeastern edge of Fostoria. The tornado moved northeast from this location and damaged several homes before reaching the Fostoria Airport where a hanger and office building were damaged. From the airport, the tornado continued northeast across open farmland for a few miles and finally dissipated northwest of Amsden near the intersection of County Road 3 and Township Road 172. Several more homes and barns were damaged along the last half of the tornado track. Many cars were also damaged and hundreds of trees and power poles toppled. The damage path from this tornado in…

8. Jul 10, 2013Thunderstorm Wind$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A line of thunderstorms producing winds estimated to be around 70 mph raced east across Seneca County causing widespread damage. Hundreds of trees were snapped or toppled. A lot of damage to homes and buildings was also observed. Most of this damage was from lost roofing or siding but some outbuildings were also flattened. A lot of tree damage was reported on the south side of Fostoria. A line of 15 utility poles was knocked down northeast of Republic. The damage was especially heavy in the northeast corner of the county from Reedtown north to Flat Rock. A lot of downed trees were also reported in the Attica area. Several vehicles were reported damaged in the county. Power outages…

9. May 31, 2008Tornado$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF1 tornado continued into western Seneca County from Hancock County. The tornado entered the county on the south side of Fostoria and continued northeast for around two and half miles before dissipating near County Road 60. One home on the south side of Fostoria was damaged enough to be classified as destroyed. Many other homes in the city sustained roof or siding damage. At least 30 homes were reported to have limbs or trees on them in Fostoria alone. Several sheds and other outbuildings were also leveled. Hundreds of trees were toppled as well. This tornado had a damage path more than eight miles in length and up to a 100 yards in width.

10. Nov 5, 2017Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Thunderstorm downburst winds estimated to be as much as 70 mph caused considerable damage on the south side of Tiffin and also across Seneca and Eden Townships to the south of the city. Hundreds of trees and large limbs were downed across the area along with many utility poles. In Tiffin, homes were reported damaged on Melmore Street, Mohawk Street, Longfellow Drive and Coe Streets. 55 trees were toppled or uprooted in Greenlawn Cemetary on the southeast side of Tiffin. Several barns were damaged in Seneca and Eden Townships. The damage was most concentrated along County Road 19 and Township Road 159 south of Melmore. Several roads and streets were blocked by fallen trees and…

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 25, 1988

All-time low

−20°FJan 19, 1994

Warmest night

79°F2 times, most recently Jun 15, 2022

Coldest day

−11°FJan 20, 1985

Wettest day

4.89 inJun 13, 1981

Snowiest day

12.0 inJan 31, 1982

Hottest year

2024mean 56.0°F

Coldest year

1978mean 48.0°F

Wettest year

195045.98 in

Driest year

201020.76 in

Snowiest season

58.4 in1981-82

Station Findlay Airport (USW00014825), 809 ft elevation, 25.5 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1942 to October 26, 2026; 99.5% 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 USW00014825.
• 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.