NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Avon Lake, OH
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Avon Lake, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 58 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 58
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
40 deaths in all
What the records show for Avon Lake
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Avon Lake; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Avon Lake begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 35 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Avon Lake has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 58 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 14 miles. Of the 58, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 19 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 74% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Avon Lake. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 79 times since 1973, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Avon Lake has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 605 Ohio cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Avon Lake
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Avon Lake: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Avon Lake
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s4
- 2000s4
- 1990s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11
- 1960s7(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 14 mi | 22 mi | 18 / 200 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 3 mi | 118 mi | 17 / 379 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 22 mi | 12 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 19 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 29, 1966 | F3 | 24 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Aug 20, 1962 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 4 / 20 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 26, 1986 | F2 | 9 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 13, 1975 | F2 | 21 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1970 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 22, 1951 | F2 | 10 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | EF1 | 22 mi | 9.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 58, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Avon Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 79 hail reports within 10 miles of Avon Lake since 1973, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 7, 2010. The most recent report is from May 22, 2024. May has the most reports, 34.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Avon Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Elyria 3 E, OH, 9 miles south of Avon Lake at 730 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 22°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 19 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 115 nights a year. Snowfall averages 43.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.9 inches is more than at 68 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (53%). Bay Village, 4 miles east, has its own station (Cleveland, OH): 41.2 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Cleveland, OH, 19 miles east, averaged 75°F in August and 40°F in January and February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 22 | 2.8 | 8 | 12.9 | 40 |
| Feb | 40 | 23 | 2.4 | 7 | 10.2 | 40 |
| Mar | 49 | 30 | 3.0 | 7 | 7.6 | 42 |
| Apr | 63 | 40 | 3.8 | 8 | 1.9 | 49 |
| May | 73 | 51 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 | 57 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 | 66 |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 | 74 |
| Aug | 83 | 63 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 | 75 |
| Sep | 77 | 56 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 | 72 |
| Oct | 65 | 46 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.0 | 64 |
| Nov | 52 | 36 | 3.0 | 8 | 2.2 | 54 |
| Dec | 41 | 27 | 3.1 | 8 | 8.8 | 42 |
| Year | 62 | 43 | 41.9 | 88 | 43.6 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Elyria 3 E, OH (730 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Cleveland, OH, from NOAA Tides & Currents. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Avon Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 235 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Avon Lake: 213 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 flash floods and 4 floods. They killed 5 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $65.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 77 mph, on November 7, 1996. May has had the most flash floods, 8 of 18. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 393 have had fewer than Avon Lake.
July 24, 1999: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Avon Lake — 3 killed, $2,000 damage.
July 16, 2005: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Avon Lake — 2 killed, $1.2 million damage.
June 28, 2006: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Avon Lake — 1 injured, $8,000 damage.
NWS: “A few trees and utility wires were reported down. In Avon Lake, a large tree limb fell on a bicyclist.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Avon Lake's ZIP code 44012 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $41,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 318 Ohio cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 46 have fewer than Avon Lake.
Lorain County, which includes Avon Lake, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lorain County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $65.9 million a year, the 10th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $42.7 million (65%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Avon Lake
- Avon, OH4 mi
- Bay Village, OH4 mi
- Sheffield Village, OH5 mi
- Westlake, OH5 mi
- North Olmsted, OH8 mi
- North Ridgeville, OH8 mi
- Rocky River, OH9 mi
- Fairview Park, OH9 mi
- Lorain, OH9 mi
- Olmsted Falls, OH10 mi
- Elyria, OH11 mi
- Lakewood, OH11 mi
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