NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cardington, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cardington, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 78 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 78
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Cardington
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cardington; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Cardington begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 27 miles away. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 605 Ohio cities on this site, 53% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Cardington. The highest rating among the 78 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on June 13, 1981, killed 4 people. Of the 78, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on June 5, 2024. Cardington has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1963, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 67% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cardington.
Compare Cardington's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cardington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cardington: 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 Cardington
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s9
- 2000s7
- 1990s11
- 1980s18(2 EF3+)
- 1970s16
- 1960s5
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 1981 | F3 | 2 mi | 3.8 mi | 4 / 56 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 24 mi | 29 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 2 mi | 22.2 mi | 4 / 62 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 19.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 5, 2017 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 4, 2017 | EF2 | 21 mi | 16.67 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 20, 2000 | F2 | 23 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 23, 2000 | F2 | 12 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1990 | F2 | 13 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 15, 1989 | F2 | 1 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1985 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1982 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 9 |
The strongest 12 of 78, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cardington
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Cardington since 1963, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently May 13, 2014. The most recent report is from May 5, 2025. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cardington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Marion Municipal Airport, OH, 13 miles northwest of Cardington at 994 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 19°F. June is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 37.5 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 123 nights a year. That 37.5 inches is more than at 19 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (15%). Mount Gilead, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Galion Wtr Wks, OH): 43.0 inches a year, 5.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 19 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Feb | 37 | 21 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Apr | 61 | 39 | 3.9 | 8 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.0 | 9 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Jul | 84 | 62 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Oct | 64 | 43 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Dec | 39 | 25 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 37.5 | 77 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Marion Municipal Airport, OH (994 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 Cardington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 114 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cardington: 107 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods and 3 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 25, 2006.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Cardington — $2.0 million damage.
July 8, 2003: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Cardington — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Seneca County and caused extensive damage. m.”
May 21, 2004: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Cardington — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Lucas County and downed dozens of trees. Scattered power outages were also reported.”
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
Morrow County, which includes Cardington, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Morrow County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.8 million a year, the 77th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.0 million (69%), 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.