Are You An Ohio "Weather Bug"? Take The Ohio Severe Weather Quiz

(Courtesy of the Ohio Weather Library )

For Ohioans, weather has always been a topic of conversation - perhaps, more so than other states. The great variation in Ohio's weather frequently leaves us complaining of days that are too hot, too cold, too wet, or too dry. And, always in the depths of winter, weather seems to be on the minds of everyone as we deal with ice, freezing rain, fog, snow, and rapid fluctuations in temperature. While Mother Nature is often kind to us, Ohio has had its share of catastrophic weather events and extremes.

To see how you fare on knowledge of Ohio's weathered past, take the quiz below.

1. What and where was Ohio's deadliest tornado?

2. Ohio was one of 13 states hit by the infamous "Tornado Super Outbreak" when 148 tornadoes ripped through the Midwest, leaving a 2,500-mile path of destruction in just 6 hours. In what year did the "Tornado Super Oubreak" occur and which Ohio city was hit hardest?

3. What was the highest temperature ever recorded in Ohio?

4. What was the lowest temperature ever recorded in Ohio?

5. The greatest accumulation of snow from a single snowstorm event occurred during a 6-day lake effect snowstorm that began on November 9, 1996 and continued through November 14. Where did the record accumulation occur?

6. In what year did the worst blizzard in Ohio occur?

7. Has Ohio ever been the center of an earthquake?

8. Each year Ohio averages just over 3 feet of precipitation. What was the wettest year on record? What was the driest year on record?

9. Ohio has had at least a dozen severe floods. Which was the most deadly?

10. What was the deadliest storm to ever hit Lake Erie?

Check Your Answers Below:

1. Ohio's deadliest tornado occurred June 28, 1924 when a twister hit the Lorain and Sandusky area, killing 85 people. It ranks 22nd on the list of the "U.S. Top 25 Deadliest Tornadoes."

Tornado Aftermath along Waterfront at Sandusky, Ohio
(Charles E. Frohman Collection)

2. The "Tornado Super Outbreak" took place on April 3 and 4 in 1974. One of the most intense tornadoes hit Xenia, killing 41 people and injuring another 2,000.

Aftermath of Xenia, Ohio Tornado of 1974
(Courtesy of Ohio History Central)

3. The thermostat soared to 113 degrees on July 21, 1934 at Gallipolis, Ohio.

4. The temperature plummeted to 39 degrees below zero on February 10, 1899, at Milligan, Ohio.

5. Hampden Township in Geauga County recorded 68.9 inches of snow during the six-day lake effect snowstorm of 1996.

6. You guessed it. It was the Blizzard of 1978. The storm that hit Ohio on January 26 is often called the "Storm of the Century." Fifty-one Ohioans died and hundreds of thousands were without fuel, food, and electricity.

7. In January 1986 a magnituide 5.0 earthquake centered in Lake County shook northeastern Ohio, cracking plaster and breaking windows.

8. Ohio's wettest year was 1990 with 51.38 inches. Ohio's driest year was 1930 with 26.59 inches.

9. The flood that struck the Great Miami and Scioto River Valley and killed more than 467 people was the deadliest. It occurred Easter weekend in 1913. Flooding and devastation was statewide.

Flood of 1913
(Charles E. Frohman Collection)

10. The deadliest and most destructive storm to ever hit Lake Erie was the Great Lakes Storm of 1913. Called the "Big Blow," the "White Hurricane" or the "Freshwater Fury, the storm that hit the Great Lakes" packed hurricane-force winds, killing 250 people and destroying 19 ships

If you would like to know more about Ohio's weather, check out the Ohio Historical Society's Severe Weather web page.