Clinton County
Emergency Management Agency

Understanding Snow Emergency Levels: Why Each Step Matters When winter weather hits, snow emergency levels are not just labels. They represent a growing level of difficulty and risk across the entire county. The jump from No Snow Emergency to Level 1 is not a simple step up. It is exponential. Road conditions compound. Visibility worsens. Response times increase. A single crash can ripple into dozens of other problems. Understanding what each level truly means can help yo

Severe Weather in Clinton County: How to Get Your Household Ready Spring weather in Ohio can change fast. One day it’s calm, and the next day we’re dealing with damaging winds, lightning, tornado warnings, or power outages. The best way to stay safe is to prepare before storms are on top of you. This guide breaks severe weather readiness into a simple timeline you can follow for your household—whether you live in a single-family home, apartment, or mobile home. The following

What the Storm Prediction Center’s Severe Weather Outlooks Really Mean When weather forecasters talk about severe weather ahead of time, they use a system developed by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) to show the risk of dangerous thunderstorms. The SPC’s outlooks help you understand how likely severe storms are and how serious they might become. These outlooks are not a forecast of exact weather at your house — they show risk over a region . The outlook uses five main cate

Understanding Tornado Risk on SPC Convective Outlooks When the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issues severe weather outlooks , they don’t just say if storms are possible — they quantify tornado threat with numbers and sometimes special symbols. For anyone tracking severe weather, understanding these elements helps you go beyond “yellow on a map” to what it really means for your location. What Do Tornado Percentages Mean? On Convective Outlook graphics, you’ll often see tornad

Update No. 2 Posted 6:30 am on Thursday, 19 February Update: Clinton County is under a Slight Risk (Level 2 of 5) for severe weather today and tonight. Showers and thunderstorms are expected, with the primary hazard being damaging straight-line winds. There is also potential for hail, and an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. Storm Timing (Estimated) The most likely window for storms to impact Clinton County is: Start: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (tonight) End: 10:00 PM (tonight)

Sheltering Class Coming to Clinton County — Get on the Notify List If you’ve ever wondered what it really looks like when a shelter opens during a disaster, this is your chance to learn it the right way — from the people who do it for real. Clinton County EMA is currently working with the American Red Cross (ARC) to bring a Sheltering Class to Wilmington . This training is designed for volunteers who may be asked to support shelter operations during major incidents such as

A Clinton County Household Check-In Before Ohio Severe Weather Awareness Week (15–21 March 2026) If you haven’t talked about your household emergency plan since the last snowstorm, now’s the time. Not because winter is “over.” Ohio can still throw a curveball in March. But because the hazards are about to change. Winter problems are usually slow. You get a forecast. You get time. You can stock up, stay home, and ride it out. Spring severe weather is different. Tornadoes a

For those first 100 that were quick on the draw, here are the initial results... Note: These results reflect the first 100 survey responses. As additional responses are received, percentages and rankings may shift, and future updates may change the findings shown here. The end goal in for 1000 responses This section summarizes early results from the Clinton County Public Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) Survey using the first 100 resident responses . Results

Clinton County Hazard & Risk Assessment ( HIRA ) Survey: What It Is (and What It Isn’t) ⭐ Special sneek peak for those receiving the Prepare Now Messages with CCEA ⭐ Clinton County EMA is updating the Clinton County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). As part of that update, we are conducting a Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment, also known as a HIRA [pronounced 📢 Hi-Rah]. We’re asking residents to take a short survey here: https://www.cc-ema.org/publichira This survey i

Updated: 7:05 am on Monday , 26 January 2026 *Updates will be added to this post and highlighted GREEN to indicate it is new or a change/update. Remember to refresh the page to see the most recent information . Clinton County Weather & Statewide Impact Update As of 12:14 PM — Sunday, January 25 Ohio remains under the effects of Winter Storm Fern, and while much of the attention locally is focused on Clinton County, there are significant impacts unfolding across the state an

Major Winter Storm Expected in Clinton County — Prepare Now WINTER STORM WARCH upgraded... 🚨 WINTER STORM WARNING in effect from 10 am on Saturday to Noon on Monday 🚨 COLD WEATHER ADVISORY in effect from 6 pm on Friday to Noon on Saturday Clinton County is forecasted to experience Major Impacts from an approaching winter storm and extended extreme cold. This means dangerous or impossible driving, major disruptions to daily life, and possible closures or service delays. Re

Winter Weather Outlook for Clinton County: Prepare for the Worst, Hope for the Best Clinton County could see significant winter weather this weekend , followed by several days of dangerous cold . While the exact snowfall totals are still uncertain, now is the time to prepare . We’re taking a prepare for the worst, hope for the best approach. Forecast confidence on snowfall impacts will improve by 1 PM on Friday, January 23 , but residents should begin preparing Thursday and

Thursday Night Through Early Next Week Cold weather is settling into Clinton County starting Thursday night and will last into early next week . Thursday Night and Friday: Temperatures will drop into the teens Thursday night and stay very cold on Friday. Friday night will be even colder, with temperatures near the single digits . Saturday into Sunday: Snow is possible starting Saturday and could last into Sunday . Some snow may build up on roads and sidewalks, which could mak

Why So Many People Miss What’s Happening in Their Own Community Every community runs into the same frustrating moment. An event is advertised. A notice is posted. An announcement is shared. And yet, someone still asks, “Why didn’t anyone tell us?” When is Trick-or-Treat? It’s tempting to assume people simply weren’t paying attention — but the truth is far more complicated. Today, missing local news is not a personal failure. It is the predictable outcome of how modern life wo

PACE in action — when Plan A fails, you don’t panic… you move to the next plan. Preparedness is more than watching a YouTube video about survival, ordering dehydrated food off the internet, and walking around in a “gray man” outfit. Real preparedness is rooted in planning, based on your skills, and enabled by your resources. One of the most useful ways to think about planning comes from the communications world. It’s called PACE , and it stands for Primary, Alternate, Conting

When something bad happens in Clinton County — a tornado, a house fire, a missing child, or a family suddenly without food — it’s not just fire trucks and police cruisers that show up. Behind the scenes, there’s a whole network of nonprofit groups, volunteers, faith-based teams, search-and-rescue crews, animal responders, and public-health partners working alongside local government to help neighbors get through the worst days of their lives. Most residents never see that net

Firefighter Training Is Changing in Ohio — What That Means for Rural Communities Most people don’t think about firefighter training until they need a fire department. But right now, Ohio is debating changes that could affect how many firefighters are available in rural areas and how fast help arrives when someone calls 911. This article explains what is being discussed, why it matters, and what residents should know. What Is Being Proposed Ohio currently allows volunteer fire

Dear Clinton County Residents, As we look ahead to 2026, many people are thinking about resolutions—changes they hope to make and priorities they want to set for the year ahead. I encourage you to consider one resolution that strengthens not only your household, but our entire community: making your household prepared . Prepared households become neighbors you can count on, and that raises an important question for all of us—can your neighbors count on you? Household prepared

Lessons from the December Power Outage Near OH-730 Residents near OH-730 by the Equestrian Center experienced a power outage during the evening of December 18, 2025 , followed by another outage the morning of December 19 . While the outage itself was disruptive, what followed highlighted an important lesson for anyone who experiences a loss of power — now or in the future. What Happened: During this event, utility systems showed conflicting information. An outage appeared on

Community Notice: Increased Emergency Responder Presence in Blanchester Tuesday, December 16 & Wednesday, December 17 Blanchester residents and visitors should expect a visible increase in emergency responder activity in the village on Tuesday (Dec. 16) and Wednesday (Dec. 17) due to funeral services and related events for a local resident. To support public safety, traffic management, and emergency access, the following agencies will have personnel operating in and around