Temperatures
There are many weather stories from 2024, fueled mostly by above average temperatures throughout the year. In fact, 2024 was the warmest year on record for the world, the U.S., and Ohio. All but two counties in Ohio had their warmest year on record for the 130-year period (1895-2024) (Figure 1). Several months were esepcially warm including February (7-9°F above normal), March (5-9°F above normal), and November (5-9°F above normal). Several cities throughout the state set their all time warmest years including Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus, with many of these records dating back to the 1880s.
Figure 1 County average temperature rank for 2024 as it compares to the full 130-year period (1895-2024). Figure courtesy of the National Centers for Environmental Information.
Precipitation
The biggest story of 2024 was the historical drought conditions. After above normal precipitation in spring and the 7th wettest April on record, dry conditions set in for summer. The summer of 2024 ranks as the 7th driest summer on record for Ohio (1895-2024). Dry conditions persisted throughout the summer and fall, broken up in some areas by tropical moisture from Debby and Helene (more below). October 2024 ranks as the 7th driest October on record. Despite the historical drought conditions, 2024 only ranks as the 51st driest year on record. Many counties in central and eastern Ohio recorded one of their driest years on record, with the 13th driest recorded for Athens and Noble Counties (Figure 2). However, a few counties in the west had above normal precipitation for the year.
Figure 2 County average precipitation rank for the 2024 as it compares to the full 130-year period (1895-2024). Figure courtesy of the National Centers for Environmental Information.
Drought
Due to the dry summer and fall conditions, Ohio reached some major milestones in both intensity and coverage of significant levels of drought throughout the state. The U.S. Drought Monitor process has been in effect since 2000, and Ohio reached the D4-exceptional drought category for the first time in history on August 27, 2024. Drought coverage and intensity reached a peak with the September 26, 2024 release (Figure 3) showing 12.6% of the state in D4 (most on record), 35.8% in D3-D4 (most on record), 64.3% in D2-D4 (most on record), and 94.1% drought coverage D1-D4 (5th most on record). Fifty-two counties in Ohio spent at least 1 week in D3 or D4, with 17 counties experiencing more that 13 weeks above that threshold (Figure 4). Max percentage of production area in the state included 27% of corn, 25% of soybean, and 45% of hay acres affected by D3 or D4 drought.
Figure 3. Maximum drought coverage in Ohio as released by the U.S. Drought Monitor on September 26, 2024.
Agricultural and hydrological impacts were intense and starkly visible. According to NASS, 93% of pasture conditions were poor to very poor on September 23, 2024 with water hauling operations expanded across the southeast counties. Harvest activities began 2-3 weeks early across the state, with very low moisture levels reported in central and southeast Ohio in both corn and soybeans. Field and combine fires were numerous as well with elevated grassland and wildland fire risk throughout the fall. Creeks, streams, and ponds dried up by mid-summer, with some near record low flows along the Hocking River in Athens County and inflows to some major reservoirs (e.g., Caesar’s Creek, C.J. Brown, and William H. Harsh) slowing to a trickle by early September. Drought conditions eased across the state late in the year with a return to a more active pattern in November. However, moderate drought conditions remain across southeast Ohio as of January 27, 2025 with a continued lack of soil moisture, low stream flows, and reports of water hauling. For more information and additional resources on drought conditions, check out the CFAES Drought Conditions and Resources page.
Figure 4. Number of weeks that at least some percentage of each county spent in D3 or D4 drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Estimated production area and acres in Ohio spent in D3 or D4 drought by commodity.
Severe Weather
Tornadic thunderstorms were numerous across the country in 2024 with more than 1800 preliminary tornado reports for the U.S. (Figure 5). Ohio’s season got started early, with a pre-dawn outbreak that produced nine tornadoes. One long-tracked EF2 (winds to 130 miles) traveled 22.3 miles, was up to 500 yards wide, and struck numerous homes and farms in Clark and Madison Counties including the Madison County airport and the Molly Caren Agricultural Center. There were a total of six days with five or more confirmed tornadoes in 2024 including February 28th, March 14th, April 2nd, April 17th, May 7th, and August 6th. The largest outbreak occurred on May 7-8, with 20 confirmed tornadoes. The most intense tornado, an EF3 with winds to 155 mph affected Auglaize and Logan Counties on March 14th with tragic fatalities in the Indian Lake area. The final tornado occurred in Union County on December 29, 2024 bringing the 2024 total in Ohio to 74 tornadoes and beating the previous annual record of 62 that occurred in 1992.
Figure 5. Preliminary tornado reports of the U.S. in 2024 according to the Storm Prediction Center.
Ohio was also impacted twice by tropical moisture. During the overnight hours of August 8, an outerband from what was left of Tropical Storm Debby brought a concentrated area of heavy rain from Wayne County to Summit County in northeast Ohio (Figure 6). Rainfall reports of 3-7” occurred across this region causing flash flooding for several rural and urban communities.
Figure 6. MRMS estimated rainfall totals on August 8, 2024. Figure courtesy of the National Weather Service - Cleveland, Ohio.
Just as Ohio reached peak drought conditions in late September, a powerful Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida with winds to 140 mph. Helene quickly moved inland, weakened, then stalled out over Tennessee. Helene caused catastrophic flooding in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, before bringing flooding rains to south central Ohio as well. Winds in excess of 60mph and a band of 4-7 inches of rain occurred across the region. Combined with the pre-existing drought conditions, winds easily pushed corn over (Figure 7) and the excess moisture led to other issues following the storm, including soybean sprouting and widespread mold in fields. The rainfall was beneficial for much of southwest Ohio however, which helped ease drought conditions for the remainder of 2024 in that part of the state.
Figure 7. Widespread reports of corn knocked over after the remnants of Hurricane Helene move through southern Ohio. This photo is from the Western Agricultural Research Center in South Charleston, Ohio.