Local Data Search

 
USA.com / Ohio / Defiance County / Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes

Defiance County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes

 
Hot Ohio Rankings
Fastest / Slowest Growing Counties in OH
Richest / Poorest Counties by Income in OH
Expensive / Cheapest Homes by County in OH
Most / Least Educated Counties in OH
Fastest / Slowest Growing Cities in OH
High / Low OH Cities by Males Employed
High / Low OH Cities by Females Employed
Best / Worst Cities by Crime Rate in OH
Richest / Poorest Cities by Income in OH
Expensive / Cheapest Homes by City in OH
Most / Least Educated Cities in OH

The chance of earthquake damage in Defiance County is about the same as Ohio average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Defiance County is higher than Ohio average and is higher than the national average.

Topics:Earthquake IndexVolcano IndexTornado IndexOther Weather Extremes EventsVolcanos NearbyHistorical Earthquake EventsHistorical Tornado Events

Earthquake Index, #59

Defiance County
0.04
Ohio
0.16
U.S.
1.81

The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.

Volcano Index, #1

Defiance County
0.0000
Ohio
0.0000
U.S.
0.0023

The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.

Tornado Index, #13

Defiance County
194.56
Ohio
156.02
U.S.
136.45

The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.

Other Weather Extremes Events

A total of 14,016 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Defiance County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:

TypeCountTypeCountTypeCountTypeCountTypeCount
Avalanche:0Blizzard:18Cold:29Dense Fog:7Drought:14
Dust Storm:0Flood:1,044Hail:3,620Heat:22Heavy Snow:208
High Surf:0Hurricane:0Ice Storm:62Landslide:0Strong Wind:223
Thunderstorm Winds:8,104Tropical Storm:0Wildfire:0Winter Storm:245Winter Weather:36
Other:384 

Volcanos Nearby

No volcano is found in or near Defiance County.

Historical Earthquake Events

No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Defiance County.

No historical earthquake events found in or near Defiance County.

Historical Tornado Events

A total of 85 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Defiance County.

Distance (miles)DateMagnitudeStart Lat/LogEnd Lat/LogLengthWidthFatalitiesInjuriesProperty DamageCrop DamageAffected County
9.71957-07-04241°28'N / 84°34'W41°27'N / 84°30'W2.70 Miles33 Yards00250K0Williams
10.41986-07-12241°14'N / 84°21'W41°13'N / 84°19'W3.30 Miles73 Yards002.5M0Defiance
15.31974-04-03341°03'N / 84°27'W41°10'N / 84°22'W8.70 Miles177 Yards01250K0Paulding
16.31965-08-25241°30'N / 84°24'W41°32'N / 84°13'W9.40 Miles880 Yards012.5M0Williams
16.31971-08-10241°18'N / 84°48'W0.50 Mile100 Yards0025K0Defiance
16.72002-11-10341°05'N / 84°20'W41°10'N / 84°16'W7.20 Miles440 Yards2000Putnam
 Brief Description: This tornado originated in Van Wert county and moved across Paulding county into Putnam county about 4 miles west southwest of Continental. NWS ground and aerial survey found F3 damage as the tornado entered Putnam county, striking a mobile home and killing a husband and wife. The tornado moved northeast across the northwest corner of Putnam county, quickly weakening to an F0 as it exited the county 4.5 miles north of Continental. M72MH, F67MH On Sunday, November 10th, 2002 a cold front trailed from a deep surface low over northern Lake Michigan into central Missouri. Ahead of the cold front the KILN (Wilmington, OH) 1200 UTC sounding showed an unstable airmass with CAPE (Convectively Available Potential Energy) of 1148 J/kg and a Storm Relative Helicity (SRH) of 408 m/s2. Another sounding at 1800 UTC showed CAPE had increased on a modified sounding to 1313 J/kg, with SRH increasing to 587 m/s2. A broken squall line developed from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne Indiana and Defiance Ohio with the cold front. A small low topped supercell developed ahead of the line over Blackford county Indiana and was moving northeast at 50 MPH. This parent supercell produced 3 seperate tornadoes in Indiana (see StormData, Indiana, Northeast for more information) before crossing into Ohio. There the supercell intensified and a tornado touched down in Van Wert County Ohio, reaching F4 in strength as it reached the city of Van Wert. The tornado then moved northeast with a total path length of 53 miles, producing F3 damage in Paulding and Putnam counties, and F0 damage in Defiance and Henry counties.
17.51970-05-12241°26'N / 84°12'W41°14'N / 84°06'W14.40 Miles50 Yards0025K0Henry
19.01974-04-03241°02'N / 84°24'W41°07'N / 84°15'W9.20 Miles350 Yards00250K0Paulding
19.61992-07-12241°32'N / 84°14'W2.00 Miles150 Yards082.5M0Fulton
20.52002-11-10340°59'N / 84°27'W41°05'N / 84°20'W9.00 Miles440 Yards0000Paulding
 Brief Description: This tornado originated in Van Wert county and crossed into Paulding county 3 miles southwest of Roselms and exited Paulding county about 2.5 miles southeast of Oakwood. NWS ground and aerial survey found F3 damage along the entire path in Paulding county, with only one structure remaining standing in the town of Roselms, in which the town residents had taken cover in the basement. On Sunday, November 10th, 2002 a cold front trailed from a deep surface low over northern Lake Michigan into central Missouri. Ahead of the cold front the KILN (Wilmington, OH) 1200 UTC sounding showed an unstable airmass with CAPE (Convectively Available Potential Energy) of 1148 J/kg and a Storm Relative Helicity (SRH) of 408 m/s2. Another sounding at 1800 UTC showed CAPE had increased on a modified sounding to 1313 J/kg, with SRH increasing to 587 m/s2. A broken squall line developed from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne Indiana and Defiance Ohio with the cold front. A small low topped supercell developed ahead of the line over Blackford county Indiana and was moving northeast at 50 MPH. This parent supercell produced 3 seperate tornadoes in Indiana (see StormData, Indiana, Northeast for more information) before crossing into Ohio. There the supercell intensified and a tornado touched down in Van Wert County Ohio, reaching F4 in strength as it reached the city of Van Wert. The tornado then moved northeast with a total path length of 53 miles, producing F3 damage in Paulding and Putnam counties, and F0 damage in Defiance and Henry counties.
22.11961-05-06341°33'N / 84°48'W41°34'N / 84°45'W1.90 Miles813 Yards0025K0Williams
26.41969-08-15241°38'N / 84°47'W0025K0Steuben
26.81964-08-22241°42'N / 84°36'W0025K0Williams
27.31983-05-02241°14'N / 84°01'W41°17'N / 83°55'W5.00 Miles83 Yards002.5M0Henry
28.61991-03-27341°39'N / 84°50'W41°42'N / 84°43'W6.40 Miles200 Yards01825.0M0Williams
28.82001-10-24340°53'N / 84°19'W41°09'N / 83°54'W29.00 Miles440 Yards001.0M0Putnam
 Brief Description: Tornado touched down in extreme southeast Van Wert county northwest of Delphos as an F0 and moved northeast into Putnam county southwest of Fort Jennings. F3 damage occurred 2 miles southwest of Ottawa in Putnam county with significant damage to well built homes and structures. The tornado was skipping across northeast Putnam county with F1-F2 damage before lifting just south of the Henry county line east of Belmore.
29.81991-03-27341°43'N / 84°36'W41°47'N / 84°31'W5.00 Miles400 Yards0025.0M0Hillsdale
30.11964-06-15240°59'N / 84°10'W41°02'N / 84°00'W8.90 Miles33 Yards0025K0Putnam
30.11974-04-03241°43'N / 84°25'W41°47'N / 84°20'W5.60 Miles33 Yards050K0Hillsdale
30.41991-03-27341°32'N / 85°04'W41°39'N / 84°50'W14.60 Miles200 Yards1625.0M0Steuben
30.82002-11-10440°47'N / 84°46'W40°59'N / 84°26'W21.60 Miles880 Yards21730.0M0Van Wert
 Brief Description: This tornado touched down in the southwest corner of Van Wert County about 4 miles northeast of Willshire and moved northeast across the western portion of the city of Van Wert, and then crossed U.S. 30 and continued northeast before exiting the county about 7 miles east of Scott. NWS ground and aerial surveys showed the tornado quickly intensified to F4 about 5 miles southwest of the city of Van Wert near Zook road, where a 75 year old male was killed in his home. The tornado continued moving northeast as an F4 into the city of Van Wert, were it hit the Twin Cinemas and the Vision Industrial Park. At this point the tornado was about one half mile wide. 60 persons watching a movie in the cinemas, mostly children, took shelter before the tornado hit, with only minor injuries. Vehicles from the parking lot were thrown into the seats where the children had been sitting. An 18 year old male driving past the cinemas was thrown from his vehicle and killed. The tornado then destroyed five industries in the Vision Industrial Park, before moving north of U.S. 30, producing F4 damage to additional businesses and homes. The tornado weakened to F3 as it moved northeast and crossed into Paulding county. 164 homes were damaged in Van Wert county, and 43 were totally destroyed. 27 businesses sustained damage, with 5 totally destroyed in Vision Park. Three county engineer buildings were destroyed, with one house used by a township. Total damage in Van Wert county was near 30 million dollars. M18VE, M75PH On Sunday, November 10th, 2002 a cold front trailed from a deep surface low over northern Lake Michigan into central Missouri. Ahead of the cold front the KILN (Wilmington, OH) 1200 UTC sounding showed an unstable airmass with CAPE (Convectively Available Potential Energy) of 1148 J/kg and a Storm Relative Helicity (SRH) of 408 m/s2. Another sounding at 1800 UTC showed CAPE had increased on a modified sounding to 1313 J/kg, with SRH increasing to 587 m/s2. A broken squall line developed from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne Indiana and Defiance Ohio with the cold front. A small low topped supercell developed ahead of the line over Blackford county Indiana and was moving northeast at 50 MPH. This parent supercell produced 3 seperate tornadoes in Indiana (see StormData, Indiana, Northeast for more information) before crossing into Ohio. There the supercell intensified and a tornado touched down in Van Wert County Ohio, reaching F4 in strength as it reached the city of Van Wert. The tornado then moved northeast with a total path length of 53 miles, producing F3 damage in Paulding and Putnam counties, and F0 damage in Defiance and Henry counties.
30.91961-05-06341°33'N / 85°12'W41°33'N / 84°48'W20.50 Miles800 Yards002.5M0Steuben
31.22010-06-05241°29'N / 84°00'W41°31'N / 83°52'W7.00 Miles700 Yards00500K0KFulton
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado touched down along Highway 109 just north of County Road A and moved northeast, impacting several homes, trees and power lines. Several homes were severely damaged or destroyed (DI:FR12 DOD: 8). However, improper anchoring of some of the homes resulted in a failure on all walls, resulting in their destruction. Several trees were uprooted or damaged, including through the Maumee State Forest. The tornado ended near the Fulton/Lucas county line. The maximum width of the tornado was around 700 yards with maximum wind speeds estimated around 130 mph. Damage is estimated at $500,000. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A warm front worked north towards lower Michigan during the evening hours of the 5th. Storms were initially slow to organize, but quickly intensified and became supercellular. One of these storms tracked into Fulton county and quickly spawned a tornado north of Liberty Center. The tornado remained on the ground for roughly 7 miles producing damage along its track before dissipating near the Fulton/Lucas county line.
32.71953-06-08441°13'N / 83°54'W41°15'N / 83°50'W3.30 Miles33 Yards510K0Henry
32.81974-04-03241°45'N / 84°25'W41°50'N / 84°23'W5.40 Miles167 Yards0225K0Hillsdale
33.72000-06-14241°17'N / 85°09'W41°17'N / 85°07'W3.00 Miles400 Yards00200K0De Kalb
 Brief Description: The tornado touched down on CR 64, one half mile west of Indian Springs Camp Ground. Trees and power lines were knocked down and many were snapped and uprooted. Extensive roof damage occurred to houses in the area. A barn was damaged with much of its roof torn off and outbuildings were either damaged or destroyed. The tornado then lifted back into its parent cloud. Synoptic and mesoscale conditions for June 14th... A significant mid-level shortwave trough was located over Iowa on the morning of June 14th with an outflow dominated squall line across western Illinois. Rapid destabilization ensued later in the morning across eastern Illinois and northern Indiana with CAPES to 3500 j/kg by early afternoon. VAD wind profiles showed 850 millibar winds in excess of 50 knots in advance of the upper trough by afternoon and as storms developed along the left over outflow boundary across Illinois... they quickly became severe and organized into a large bow echo and moved quickly eastward into northern Indiana causing extensive wind damage. By late afternoon... a short segmented squall line developed just ahead of this bow echo squall line and extended from a St. Joseph to Fulton county line. Along the southern end of this line... an embedded tornadic supercell developed and interacted with a left over storm-scale outflow boundary to produce the Wabash/Kosciusko and DeKalb county tornadoes. The lack of significant low level shear likely prevented a much larger and more widespread tornado event especially across Whitley and Allen counties where several funnel clouds were captured on film but failed to touch down.
34.01976-03-12241°48'N / 84°24'W41°49'N / 84°22'W00250K0Hillsdale
34.52001-10-24241°28'N / 85°12'W41°32'N / 85°01'W7.00 Miles440 Yards001.0M0De Kalb
 Brief Description: On Wednesday 10/24/01 a surface low pressure system tracked rapidly northeast from the mid Mississippi Valley to northern Lake Michigan and deepened significantly. The accompanying cold front surged east from the Mississippi Valley during the afternoon to southeast Michigan and western Ohio in the evening. The deepening surface low was the result of a negatively tilted upper level trough approaching the Mississippi Valley. The air mass ahead of the cold front was quite unstable with lifted indices around -5C and surface dewpoints of 65-70F. Strong veering wind fields were over the area with 20-30kt S-SSE flow at the surface veering rapidly in the low levels to southwest at 45kts, then remaining unidirectional above with wind speeds increasing to 65kt at 20,000 ft. An area of Thunderstorms across Illinois in the early afternoon formed into a line as they moved into northwest Indiana. Two strong bow echoes developed over northwest and north central Indiana during the late afternoon and moved northeast at 50 MPH into southern Michigan. Numerous tornadoes occurred in the comma heads of the bow echoes. Isolated supercells ahead of the main squall line produced little severe weather except for a tornado that occurred over northwest Ohio in the evening when the squall line merged with a supercell.
35.01974-04-03241°47'N / 84°20'W41°50'N / 84°16'W4.30 Miles33 Yards000K0Lenawee
35.31964-08-22241°46'N / 84°26'W41°53'N / 84°18'W10.30 Miles100 Yards0125K0Hillsdale
35.41976-03-12241°49'N / 84°22'W41°50'N / 84°21'W00250K0Lenawee
35.41950-07-19241°04'N / 85°05'W41°05'N / 85°05'W1.10 Miles100 Yards000K0Allen
35.51992-07-14241°27'N / 85°09'W41°27'N / 85°09'W4.00 Miles150 Yards0025.0M0De Kalb
35.91950-07-19240°48'N / 84°37'W40°49'N / 84°35'W000K0Van Wert
36.11983-05-02341°20'N / 83°50'W41°22'N / 83°45'W5.00 Miles100 Yards12225.0M0Wood
36.41974-04-03241°50'N / 84°23'W41°51'N / 84°22'W0325K0Lenawee
36.91974-04-03341°34'N / 85°13'W41°44'N / 84°53'W20.50 Miles333 Yards2150K0Steuben
37.21969-09-06241°42'N / 85°00'W0025K0Steuben
37.31953-03-18241°02'N / 85°08'W41°03'N / 85°04'W1.90 Miles33 Yards0025K0Allen
37.91992-10-08241°04'N / 85°08'W2.00 Miles20 Yards09250K0Allen
37.92001-05-26241°04'N / 85°08'W41°04'N / 85°08'W3.00 Miles300 Yards036.5M0Allen
 Brief Description: Tornado touched down as as F1 at the Northcrest shopping mall on the northwest side of Fort Wayne. Damaged to mall and surrounding businesses. Cars flipped over in parking lot with one person injured. Tornado then briefly lifted and touched down one half mile to the northeast as an F2. Extensive damage to the Papermill subdivision with F2 damage to two homes, an office complex, a retirement home, and a steeple torn off a church. One injury at the retirement home and one in the subdivision. Tornado proceeded northeast with F0-F1 damage to the Concordia Seminary and adjacent structures before the tornado lifted on the northeast side of the Seminary grounds. Synoptic and mesoscale conditions and event summary for Saturday May 26th, 2001 A low topped supercell thunderstorm developed in Cass county Indiana, and moved northeast through the Fort Wayne metropolitan area and into northwest Ohio. This thunderstorm produced several tornadoes and numerous funnel clouds. The wind field was favorable for rotating storms on with strong veering in the KIWX Wind Profile. This was on the south side of a unseasonably cold closed upper low in the mid and upper levels. Surface temperatures in the lower 50s, and scattered showers were against strong thunderstorm development. However sunshine over central Indiana allowed enough heating for a thunderstorm to develop and quickly began rotating.
38.21986-08-26240°54'N / 85°01'W40°55'N / 84°56'W5.00 Miles3 Yards022.5M0Adams
38.91992-07-14241°27'N / 85°17'W41°27'N / 85°09'W4.00 Miles150 Yards02825.0M0Noble
39.32006-03-31240°45'N / 84°37'W40°46'N / 84°35'W2.00 Miles300 Yards001.0M0Van Wert
 Brief Description: The tornado was likely produced as the result of a line of thunderstorms overtaking an isolated supercell thunderstorm ahead of the line. The circulation which produced the tornado intensified shortly after the merger of the line and isolated supercell. The tornado developed near the intersection of Burris Road and Walnut Grove Church Road about 1 mile south of Ohio City. The tornado tracked to the east-northeast for roughly 2 miles before dissipating near Greenville Rd about 2 miles east of Ohio City. Damage along the first half of the tornado track was consistent with F2 intensity, with winds estimated at 140-150 mph and an initial path width of about 300 yards. In this area, 3 barns were completely destroyed, with another 5 sustaining damage. A garage was destroyed, and several houses received damage including roof, siding, and windows. Several grain bins were also damaged, along with other miscellaneous vehicle and property damage, including several tractors, a combine and other farm implements. Damage along the second half of the tornado track was consistent with F1 intensity, with the path width narrowing to about 25 yards. Several buildings sustained roof, siding, and window damage, with several instances of trailer and vehicle damage.
39.61965-04-11440°44'N / 84°42'W40°46'N / 84°23'W16.50 Miles33 Yards04250K0Van Wert
39.81968-05-16340°58'N / 85°18'W41°06'N / 85°00'W17.90 Miles33 Yards000K0Allen
40.01992-07-12241°31'N / 83°49'W41°31'N / 83°42'W5.00 Miles200 Yards012.5M0Lucas
40.81992-02-18440°44'N / 84°34'W2.80 Miles40 Yards062.5M0Van Wert
40.91965-04-11441°52'N / 84°50'W41°57'N / 84°22'W24.50 Miles33 Yards3470K0Hillsdale
41.11965-04-11440°48'N / 84°12'W40°52'N / 83°52'W17.80 Miles400 Yards111002.5M0Allen
41.51965-04-11441°53'N / 84°50'W41°57'N / 84°22'W24.20 Miles1760 Yards34725.0M0Hillsdale
41.71969-07-04241°59'N / 84°42'W41°52'N / 84°22'W18.70 Miles100 Yards00250K0Hillsdale
41.71965-04-11441°48'N / 85°00'W41°52'N / 84°50'W9.20 Miles33 Yards92000K0Branch
42.01965-04-11441°45'N / 85°05'W41°53'N / 84°50'W15.50 Miles1333 Yards9200250.0M0Branch
42.31974-04-03341°31'N / 85°17'W41°34'N / 85°13'W4.30 Miles1000 Yards000K0Lagrange
42.41984-09-25241°56'N / 84°25'W2.10 Miles90 Yards02250K0Hillsdale
42.61992-07-12241°22'N / 83°40'W0.10 Mile100 Yards0525K0Wood
43.01992-07-02240°50'N / 85°00'W1.50 Miles50 Yards00250K0Adams
43.91965-04-11441°44'N / 85°10'W41°45'N / 85°05'W3.80 Miles333 Yards000K0Steuben
44.01965-04-11440°42'N / 84°48'W40°44'N / 84°42'W5.10 Miles33 Yards2242.5M0Mercer
44.11979-06-20241°44'N / 83°50'W0.60 Mile27 Yards00250K0Lenawee
44.51953-06-08441°15'N / 83°50'W41°16'N / 83°26'W20.50 Miles33 Yards380K0Wood
44.51992-07-12241°31'N / 83°42'W41°31'N / 83°38'W2.00 Miles200 Yards002.5M0Wood
44.71950-07-19340°43'N / 84°05'W40°50'N / 83°58'W9.70 Miles300 Yards0302.5M0Allen
44.91992-07-12240°41'N / 84°45'W40°44'N / 84°48'W3.00 Miles73 Yards00250K0Mercer
45.21961-05-06341°32'N / 85°25'W41°33'N / 85°12'W11.00 Miles800 Yards052.5M0Lagrange
45.21977-07-18241°59'N / 84°36'W41°58'N / 84°30'W4.70 Miles33 Yards0025K0Hillsdale
46.21956-06-24240°50'N / 85°07'W40°52'N / 85°07'W2.30 Miles33 Yards003K0Wells
46.81980-07-09241°01'N / 83°41'W0.20 Mile50 Yards003K0Hancock
46.91974-04-03241°55'N / 84°39'W42°05'N / 84°24'W17.00 Miles440 Yards2312.5M0Hillsdale
46.91971-05-16241°33'N / 83°38'W1.00 Mile150 Yards0025K0Wood
46.91992-07-12241°33'N / 83°38'W0.10 Mile150 Yards05250K0Wood
47.11974-04-03341°25'N / 85°28'W41°31'N / 85°17'W11.40 Miles150 Yards33825.0M0Noble
47.62002-11-10340°40'N / 84°55'W40°44'N / 84°51'W5.00 Miles200 Yards00125K0Adams
 Brief Description: This tornado touched down 2 miles northeast of Berne and moved just northeast of Salem before lifting. An NWS ground survey found F3 damage at times 200 yards wide northeast of Berne. Much of the damage was to extremely well built Amish barns and homes. A mobile home was also destroyed near Salem.
48.51965-04-11440°52'N / 83°52'W40°57'N / 83°36'W14.70 Miles400 Yards24250K0Hancock
48.51965-04-11441°57'N / 84°22'W42°00'N / 83°55'W23.20 Miles1760 Yards54225.0M0Lenawee
48.51965-04-11441°57'N / 84°22'W42°00'N / 83°55'W23.20 Miles33 Yards4410K0Lenawee
48.51963-04-17240°58'N / 85°25'W41°02'N / 85°13'W11.10 Miles33 Yards00250K0Huntington
48.91975-05-21241°55'N / 85°00'W0.80 Mile33 Yards0025K0Branch
49.01986-05-15341°56'N / 84°58'W1.20 Miles200 Yards002.5M0Branch
49.01971-06-02341°05'N / 84°00'W40°59'N / 83°15'W39.60 Miles200 Yards002.5M0Putnam
49.21971-06-02340°55'N / 84°00'W40°56'N / 83°24'W31.50 Miles200 Yards0025K0Allen
49.41983-05-01242°00'N / 84°11'W1.90 Miles400 Yards0025K0Lenawee
49.71964-08-22342°00'N / 84°10'W0225K0Lenawee
49.91974-04-03240°44'N / 85°15'W40°50'N / 85°00'W14.40 Miles177 Yards002.5M0Wells


* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.


 
The USA.com website and domain are privately owned and are not operated by or affiliated with any government or municipal authority.
© 2024 World Media Group, LLC.