NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Canton, 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 Canton, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 69 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 69
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Canton
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Canton; the strongest was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 21 miles away. The record near Canton begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 60 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Canton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 69 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 12, 1992, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on November 16, 1965, killed 2 people. Of the 69, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on June 5, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Canton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 149 times since 1960, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Canton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 89% of the 605 Ohio cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Canton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 50 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 Canton: 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 Canton
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s15
- 2000s12
- 1990s12(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 22 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 12, 1978 | F3 | 24 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 16, 1965 | F2 | 7 mi | 5.9 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Sep 30, 1954 | F2 | 13 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 | 21 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 2003 | F2 | 22 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 4 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1977 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1976 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 69, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Canton
The Storm Prediction Center has 149 hail reports within 10 miles of Canton since 1960, made on 99 separate days. Of these, 69 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 10, 1980. The most recent report is from October 6, 2024. June has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Canton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Akron Canton Regional Airport, OH, 7 miles north of Canton at 1,208 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 20°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 41.4 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 120 nights a year. Snowfall averages 47.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.4 inches is more than at 59 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (46%). East Sparta, 9 miles south, has its own station (New Philadelphia, OH): 42.3 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 20 | 2.9 | 7 | 13.4 |
| Feb | 39 | 22 | 2.4 | 7 | 12.0 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 3.2 | 8 | 7.6 |
| Apr | 62 | 40 | 3.9 | 9 | 1.7 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 62 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 55 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 44 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 51 | 34 | 3.1 | 7 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 40 | 26 | 2.9 | 7 | 8.9 |
| Year | 61 | 42 | 41.4 | 89 | 47.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Akron Canton Regional Airport, OH (1,208 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 Canton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 231 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Canton: 210 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods and 7 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $16.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 7, 1996. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 14. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 319 have had fewer than Canton.
July 9, 1999: thunderstorm wind in Canton — 1 injured, $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees and power lines downed across the entire county. A canning factory in Perry Township was damaged when a fan housing on its roof blew off tearing a hole in the roof.”
March 26, 2026: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Canton — 1 injured, $35,000 damage.
NWS: “Two mobile homes were damaged by fallen trees in the Fresh Meadows Mobile Home Community on the southwest side of Canton. A resident of one of these homes experienced minor injuries.”
July 19, 2011: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Canton — $2.1 million 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Canton's 9 ZIP codes have filed 125 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late winter storms in 2011: 22 claims (18% of all) and $138,000. 19% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 318 Ohio cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 279 have fewer than Canton.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late winter storms2011 | 22 | $138,000 |
Stark County, which includes Canton, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Stark County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $76.6 million a year, the 8th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $49.7 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 Canton
- North Canton, OH5 mi
- Louisville, OH7 mi
- Massillon, OH7 mi
- East Canton, OH7 mi
- East Sparta, OH9 mi
- Uniontown, OH10 mi
- Hartville, OH10 mi
- Navarre, OH11 mi
- Canal Fulton, OH11 mi
- Waynesburg, OH12 mi
- Magnolia, OH13 mi
- North Lawrence, OH13 mi
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