NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Botkins, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Botkins, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1915. Since 1950, 80 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 80
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for Botkins
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Botkins; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 22 miles away. The record near Botkins begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm 7 miles away. Of the 605 Ohio cities on this site, 82% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Botkins. The highest rating among the 80 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 13 people. Of the 80, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on July 19, 2025. Botkins has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 57% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 71 times since 1980, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Botkins has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 605 Ohio cities.
Compare Botkins's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Botkins
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Botkins: 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 Botkins
By decade
- 2020s19(2 EF3+)
- 2010s16(1 EF3+)
- 2000s9
- 1990s9
- 1980s8
- 1970s9(2 EF3+)
- 1960s8(5 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 23 mi | 32.5 mi | 13 / 104 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 23 mi | 52.5 mi | 4 / 125 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 7 mi | 18.4 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF3 | 4 mi | 31.33 mi | 3 / 27 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF3 | 24 mi | 41.34 mi | 1 / 39 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 18 mi | 10.84 mi | 1 / 8 |
| May 10, 1973 | F3 | 25 mi | 89.6 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 24, 1971 | F3 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1961 | F3 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Jul 28, 1961 | F3 | 20 mi | 20.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 19, 1950 | F3 | 19 mi | 9.7 mi | 0 / 30 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 11 mi | 6.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 80, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Botkins
The Storm Prediction Center has 71 hail reports within 10 miles of Botkins since 1980, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently March 14, 2024. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Botkins
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sidney 1 S, OH, 14 miles south of Botkins at 940 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 18°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 41.8 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. That 41.8 inches is more than at 66 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (51%). New Knoxville, 7 miles west, has its own station (Celina 3 NE, OH): 40.1 inches a year, 1.7 less than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 18 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Feb | 39 | 20 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Mar | 49 | 28 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 | 4.1 | 9 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 4.1 | 9 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 84 | 62 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Sep | 78 | 53 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Oct | 65 | 42 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 51 | 32 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 40 | 24 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Year | 62 | 40 | 41.8 | 82 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sidney 1 S, OH (940 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 Botkins
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 157 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Botkins: 118 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 floods, 13 flash floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on June 27, 2010. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 13. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 307 have had fewer than Botkins.
July 4, 2003: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Botkins — 2 killed, $5,000 damage.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Botkins — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Botkins — 1 injured, $1,000 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
Shelby County, which includes Botkins, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Shelby County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.5 million a year, the 51st highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.3 million (53%), 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.