Wayne County

Every recorded tornado

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

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. Sep 16, 2010Tornado$35.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down in Wayne County two miles southwest of downtown Wooster around 5:26 pm. This tornado strengthened to EF2 intensity and continued on the ground for over 11 miles before finally lifting two miles west of Dalton. Extensive damage occurred along the damage path with dozens of homes and buildings damaged. After the initial touchdown, the tornado quickly intensified to an EF2 as it continued on the ground to the east northeast. The tornado crossed Prairie Lane and Timken Road and then moved across St. Mary's Cemetery. Damage at the cemetery was extensive with 80 of 81 large trees knocked down and over two hundred gravestones broken or toppled. From the cemetery,…

2. Nov 12, 2003Tornado$21.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down southwest of Wooster near the intersection of U.S. Route 250 and Old Lincoln Highway (County Road 30A). Several businesses were heavily damaged near the site of the initial touchdown. The tornado then crossed State Route 302 and moved over open farmland and into a business park on the southwest side of Wooster. Several more business were damaged in this area. The tornado continued east through residential neighborhoods just north of downtown Wooster. The tornado exited the city near the intersection of State Routes 3/83 and 585. A factory near this location was heavily damaged. The tornado continued east into Green Township and strengthened to F2 intensity…

3. Jul 21, 2019Flash Flood$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rainfall estimated around 2 to 5 inches caused substantial damage in flash floods across central Wayne County. Preliminary damage assessments reported at least 25 homes categorized as either major damage or destroyed and 6 businesses severely affected. The most significant damage was located south of Wooster near US 250 in the Apple Creek basin. The Apple Creek Fire Department said four residents were rescued from their flooded home in the 5600 block of Dover Avenue by fire crews and a dive team, and that nearly all roads were impassable. At least 400 people were evacuated from Prairie Lane Lake Park campground and about a dozen others were rescued after flash flooding hit the…

4. Dec 22, 2004Winter Storm, Wayne$5.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A record setting winter storm affected northern Ohio on December 22nd and 23rd and dumped both heavy snow and freezing rain on Knox, Holmes, Wayne and Stark Counties. 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 during the afternoon. During the evening, warmer air spread into the area as the low approached from the southwest. This caused…

5. Jan 5, 2005Ice Storm, Wayne$4.8 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…

6. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Wayne$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 for most of the evening. Peak wind gusts were estimated to be around 60 mph with the strongest winds occurring between 5 and 7 pm. Damage in the county was extensive with hundreds of trees and many utility poles downed. In Doylestown, a couple was injured when a falling tree crushed part of their house. Widespread power outages occurred in Wayne County with some customers without power for several days. Homes and buildings were damaged throughout the county. The damage ranged from a few shingles torn off to significant structural damage caused by fallen…

7. Jan 3, 2005Flood, Wayne$3.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain and runoff from snowmelt caused extensive flooding in Holmes and Wayne Counties during the first half of January. The flooding was most severe along and near Killbuck Creek which went into flood around midday on January 3rd. Heavy rain and freezing rain fell on the 5th and 6th causing the creek to reach it's highest level in 26 years at Killbuck. A peak crest of 18.17 feet was reached late in the evening on the 6th. Rainfall totals for the two day storm included 2.16 inches at Millersburg; 2.64 inches at Nashville and 1.88 inches at Berlin, all in Holmes County. Flooding at Killbuck was classified as major with evacuations beginning along Water Street around sunset on…

8. May 21, 2004Flash Flood$1.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Wayne County during the late afternoon hours and was quickly followed by a second round of storms. Torrential rain fell as this series of storms moved through. Spotters indicated that as much as two inches of rain fell in an hour. The Rittman area saw the worst flooding. Water as much as waist deep filled portions of the town. Many homes and businesses had to be evacuated. A strip mall was heavily damaged after water outside the mall accumulated to over three feet in depth in less than 30 minutes. The glass store fronts in the mall gave way under the weight of the flood waters and flooded the building in minutes. Dozens of roads in…

9. Jun 22, 2006Thunderstorm Wind$950,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hundreds of trees, large limbs, utility poles and power lines were reported down across the county as severe thunderstorms moved across Wayne County during the late afternoon hours of the 22nd. Damage in the City of Wooster was especially bad with many homes damaged by fallen trees. At least 20,000 homes lost power as a result of the storms. It took several days for power to be restored to all areas. Many roads in Wooster and elsewhere in the county had to be closed because of the fallen trees and power lines. A country club in Wooster spent nearly $100,000 cleaning up 189 downed trees on it's property. Near Dalton, a home, barn and silo were damaged by thunderstorm winds. Tree…

10. Jul 10, 2013Flash Flood$850,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    During the peak of the flooding a large portion of Wooster and Apple Creek were underwater. This included portions of the Wayne County Fairgrounds and Schellin Park. The high water forced the closure of numerous roads across the area including Freedlander, Grosjean, Timken, Baurer Roads and Prairie Lane, Spruce Street, South Bever Street, and Old Lincoln Way. Residents on North Baurer Road and Spruce Street were forced to evacuate. Businesses along Freedlander Road were also evacuated. Four of the city's waste water treatment facilities life stations went down from flood waters. One of the wastewater treatment plants had 6 to 8 feet of sewage in the buidling. In Apple Creek, the…

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

95°F5 times, most recently Jul 3, 2026

All-time low

−22°FJan 31, 2026

Warmest night

75°F2 times, most recently Jun 29, 2024

Coldest day

2°FFeb 15, 2015

Wettest day

3.11 inJul 31, 2009

Hottest year

2024mean 54.0°F

Coldest year

2003mean 47.6°F

Wettest year

201147.98 in

Driest year

200129.24 in

Station Wooster Wayne County Airport (USW00004842), 1,105 ft elevation, 2.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1997 to October 26, 2026; 98.8% 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 USW00004842.
• 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.