NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bolivar, 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 Bolivar, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 54 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 54
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Bolivar
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bolivar; the strongest was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Bolivar begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 68 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Bolivar has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 54 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 12 times; the most recent, on July 29, 2021, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on November 16, 1965, killed 2 people. Of the 54, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on June 5, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bolivar. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 90 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Bolivar has more hail reports within 10 miles than 62% of the 605 Ohio cities.
Compare Bolivar's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bolivar
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bolivar: 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 Bolivar
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s13
- 2000s10
- 1990s4
- 1980s5
- 1970s6
- 1960s7
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 16, 1965 | F2 | 15 mi | 5.9 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Sep 30, 1954 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF2 | 24 mi | 6.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF2 | 19 mi | 11.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2006 | F2 | 13 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 2003 | F2 | 10 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 15 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 30, 1977 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1976 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1973 | F2 | 25 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 15, 1968 | F2 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 1958 | F2 | 22 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 54, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bolivar
The Storm Prediction Center has 90 hail reports within 10 miles of Bolivar since 1962, made on 59 separate days. Of these, 50 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 9, 2001. The most recent report is from June 17, 2024. June has the most reports, 28.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bolivar
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Philadelphia, OH, 11 miles south of Bolivar at 925 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 20°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 42.3 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. That 42.3 inches is more than at 72 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (56%). Navarre, 7 miles northwest, has its own station (Akron Canton Regional Airport, OH): 41.4 inches a year, 0.9 less than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 20 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Feb | 39 | 20 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 49 | 28 | 3.3 | 8 |
| Apr | 62 | 37 | 3.7 | 9 |
| May | 72 | 48 | 4.2 | 10 |
| Jun | 80 | 57 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 84 | 62 | 3.9 | 8 |
| Aug | 83 | 59 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Nov | 52 | 32 | 2.8 | 7 |
| Dec | 41 | 25 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Year | 62 | 40 | 42.3 | 84 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New Philadelphia, OH (925 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.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Bolivar
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 181 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bolivar: 155 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 floods, 11 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $2.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 24, 1996. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 11. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 265 have had fewer than Bolivar.
August 2, 2017: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Bolivar — 1 killed.
April 8, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Bolivar — 4 injured, $20,000 damage.
March 26, 2026: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Bolivar — 1 injured, $35,000 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
Tuscarawas County, which includes Bolivar, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Tuscarawas County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.5 million a year, the 38th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.7 million (78%), 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.