Extreme weather risks are growing in Northeast Ohio

If recent weather seems wonky, that’s because it is.

That’s the word from Portage County Emergency Management Agency Director Ryan Shackelford, whose job it is to track potential disasters and help communities respond to them.

“We're getting a lot more significant rain events, and then, anecdotally, it seems like every storm that we get is that micro burst or high wind event, power lines are out, trees are damaged, maybe some residential damage,” he said.

Easygoing, enjoyable afternoon thunderstorms are giving way to more severe weather events, he said. Flash flooding is increasing across the county, including in areas that had never experienced such events before.

“The amount of rain that we're getting in every storm has increased, how fast it comes down has increased, and the frequency of these types of rain events annually has absolutely increased, and that's measured,” he said.

Though the year is young, the National Weather Service already lists five notable weather events in Northeast Ohio so far this year: three in March and two multi-day storms in January. The 2025 tally was three total: a five-day storm in January and two severe storms in June.

The National Weather Service recorded nine notable events in 2024, eight in 2023, nine in 2022, three in 2021 and eight in 2020.

Shackelford relies on data from GLISA (Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments), which is tasked with enhancing Great Lakes communities’ capacity to understand, plan for and respond to current and future climate impacts.

In 2023, GLISA predicted that severe weather, including tornadoes and winter storms, will increase through the end of the century. Winters will be warmer and shorter, but lake effect snow will increase in the near future. The region will likely see more extremely hot days (above 95 and 100 F), but less extremely cold ones (below 10 F.)

Stronger and more extreme precipitation events will likely result in flooding as the area’s stormwater infrastructure is unable to keep up, and dams will likely fail, GLISA predicted.

Summer drought and the number of consecutive dry days will likely increase, which raises the spectre of wildfires. Shorter, warmer winters will prolong the growing season, but will also allow invasive species to flourish. Look for more ticks, mosquitoes and their associated vector-borne illnesses. That includes dozens of potentially fatal ailments, including West Nile virus, Lyme disease, plague and more, according to CDC information. People, pets and livestock are all at risk.

To help communities prepare for extreme weather events and their aftermath, EMA staff work with community leaders across the county.

“We’re doing tons of planning, tons of partnerships, tons of exercises,” Shackelford said. “We do tons of public education because flash flooding isn't taken seriously at all. We’ve had places that have never flash flooded before that have in the last couple of years.”

Even so, should a tornado, severe storm or high wind event hit anywhere in Portage County, most folks are on their own.

“There really isn't anything that's pre-identified in every single jurisdiction in Portage County,” Shackelford said. “What we always recommend is a public building, a library, a church, somewhere like that, but anything is better than a manufactured home.”

Ravenna Township, with eight manufactured home communities, is particularly vulnerable. Township trustees there — or government officials in any Portage County locale that has trailer parks or manufactured home communities — could work with the EMA to obtain federal funds specifically designated for tornado/storm shelters, Shackelford said.

“These shelters can be dual-purposed community rooms, but must be ready to go as a shelter at a moment’s notice,” he said, adding that the structures can be unlocked by dispatch via radio when tornado watch or warning notices are issued.

Echoing other city, village and township leaders, Kent City Manager David Ruller, Ravenna Service Director Tim Contant and Fire Chief James Samels said they collaborate with county EMA.

In 2025, many Kent neighborhoods lost power for a day or more, and Kent State University’s campus was closed, but Samels said localized power outages are usually rooted in transformers smoking or trees down on wires.

In those instances, the Kent Fire Department typically fields calls from elderly homeowners who need temporary housing or people who rely on oxygen or need other assistance, Samels said.

“We don't tell people to come to the fire station because we cannot house or accommodate mass amounts of people here. We aren't equipped to temporarily house people here at the station,” he added. “It was designed for emergency response personnel and continuous operations.”

In Ravenna, if sheltering in place becomes unsafe, residents would be directed to emergency shelters in schools, government buildings, community agency centers, churches and facilities, Contant said.

“Actual shelter locations would be announced during the event, as they are not pre-listed for every disaster scenario. For example, in fast-moving events like a flash flood, officials may shelter people in place first, then relocate selectively if needed,” he said.

Aurora’s emergency plan includes using city schools as shelters. The city’s service and emergency crews deploy quickly during storms to observe flooding and storm issues, and report them to dispatch for further coordination, Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin said.

“During the recent power outages following high winds a month ago, I know some residents went to hotels, some used backup generators and some weathered the time at home while we waited for power to be restored,” she said.

Windham has no plan, but Mayor Terrie Altiere said one is needed. During a 2025 weather event, the community opened Windham High School so displaced residents could stay there until they could be relocated, she said.

Besides referring all emergency preparedness and response questions to the EMA, Shalersville Township Trustee Frank R. Ruehr, Jr. said the township hall can be used as an emergency shelter.

Portage County is also home to any number of campgrounds, including large ones at West Branch State Park. Their options are limited and mostly involve finding secure shelter elsewhere, Shackelford said.

“There’s not a lot of great shelter operations, and there’s not even anything really nearby, even if they drive all the way to Paris Township to get to a fire station,” he said.

Many communities — Kent, Aurora, Windham and Brimfield included — use various alert systems to push out information about anticipated or ongoing severe weather threats. Residents should contact their local fire departments to determine which app they need to download or how to be included on reverse 911 lists.