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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Belmont, 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

7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Belmont, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isabel in 2003. Since 1950, 22 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
7

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
22

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
1

1 deaths in all

What the records show for Belmont

None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Belmont; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Belmont begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Isabel in 2003, a tropical storm 59 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Belmont has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 90% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 22 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 8, 1969; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 22, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on February 28, 2024. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Belmont. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1971, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 65% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Belmont.

Compare Belmont's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Belmont

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Belmont, Ohio, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2003IsabelSep 1959 miTropical storm (44 mph)Category 5
1995OpalOct 672 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 4
1989HugoSep 227 miTropical storm (44 mph)Category 5
1979FredericSep 1429 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
1957AudreyJun 2944 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1915Unnamed 1915 stormOct 137 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
1888Unnamed 1888 stormAug 2142 miTropical storm (51 mph)Category 3

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Belmont: 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 Belmont

By decade

  • 2020s6
  • 2010s1
  • 2000s2
  • 1990s4
  • 1980s2
  • 1970s2
  • 1960s4(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s1
Strongest tornadoes near Belmont, Ohio
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 8, 1969F321 mi2 mi1 / 14
Feb 28, 2024EF215 mi4.05 mi0 / 0
Aug 1, 2022EF225 mi1.81 mi0 / 0
Jul 29, 2021EF211 mi2.73 mi0 / 0
May 23, 2000F221 mi3 mi0 / 0
Jul 13, 1971F220 mi2 mi0 / 5
Apr 27, 1954F215 mi1 mi0 / 1
Aug 12, 2023EF17 mi1.59 mi0 / 0
Oct 21, 2021EF1in town7.86 mi0 / 0
Oct 21, 2021EF113 mi0.43 mi0 / 0
Jan 9, 1998F119 mi11 mi0 / 0
Dec 23, 1990F117 mi13 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 22, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Belmont

The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Belmont since 1971, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 7 days, most recently May 2, 2025. The most recent report is from September 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 19.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Belmont

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wheeling, WV, 15 miles east of Belmont at 645 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 22°F. June is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 41.9 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 111 nights a year. That 41.9 inches is more than at 67 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (52%). Bethesda, 4 miles west, has its own station (Cadiz, OH): 42.7 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 85°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Wheeling, WV
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan39223.48
Feb42232.77
Mar51303.88
Apr65403.58
May74504.29
Jun81594.38
Jul85644.18
Aug85633.26
Sep79563.56
Oct66442.96
Nov54342.97
Dec43273.47
Year644341.988

Averages for 1991–2020 at Wheeling, WV (645 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.

Ohio weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Belmont

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 157 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Belmont: 126 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 13 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $3.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on August 4, 2010. July has had the most flash floods, 9 of 16. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 353 have had fewer than Belmont.

  • May 31, 2010: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Belmont — 1 killed, 5 injured.

  • June 19, 2011: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Belmont — $1.3 million damage.

  • January 1, 2005: flood 2 miles from the centre of Belmont — $250,000 damage.

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

Belmont County, which includes Belmont, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 7 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 Belmont County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $29.2 million a year, the 25th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $24.8 million (85%), 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 Belmont