NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cincinnati, 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 Cincinnati, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 93 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 93
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
23 deaths in all
What the records show for Cincinnati
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cincinnati; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. The record near Cincinnati begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 68 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 Cincinnati. The strongest of the 93 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 8 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an EF4 on March 2, 2012, killed 4 people. Of the 93, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Cincinnati has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 197 times since 1960, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Cincinnati has more hail reports within 10 miles than 96% of the 605 Ohio cities.
Compare Cincinnati's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cincinnati
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cincinnati: 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 Cincinnati
By decade
- 2020s21
- 2010s12(2 EF3+)
- 2000s5
- 1990s14(3 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s19(4 EF3+)
- 1960s7(3 EF3+)
- 1950s9
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 8 mi | 20.8 mi | 3 / 210 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 24 mi | 9.85 mi | 4 / 8 |
| Apr 9, 1999 | F4 | 8 mi | 10 mi | 4 / 65 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | in town | 19.8 mi | 2 / 39 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 24 mi | 26.7 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 23, 1968 | F4 | 13 mi | 24.1 mi | 1 / 33 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 9 mi | 33 mi | 0 / 37 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 24 mi | 27.1 mi | 0 / 104 |
| Aug 9, 1969 | F3 | 3 mi | 22.2 mi | 4 / 247 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 25 mi | 20.41 mi | 3 / 13 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F3 | 11 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 10, 1969 | F3 | 15 mi | 54.5 mi | 0 / 25 |
The strongest 12 of 93, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cincinnati
The Storm Prediction Center has 197 hail reports within 10 miles of Cincinnati since 1960, made on 116 separate days. Of these, 116 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 3 days, most recently August 3, 2015. The most recent report is from April 2, 2024. April has the most reports, 50.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cincinnati
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cincinnati Lunken Airport, OH, 6 miles southeast of Cincinnati at 490 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 43.5 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 27 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 102 nights a year. That 43.5 inches is more than at 95 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (74%). Ludlow, KY, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Cheviot, OH): 48.3 inches a year, 4.8 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 24 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Feb | 45 | 26 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Mar | 55 | 33 | 3.9 | 8 |
| Apr | 67 | 43 | 4.4 | 8 |
| May | 75 | 53 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 68 | 44 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 55 | 34 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Dec | 45 | 28 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Year | 65 | 44 | 43.5 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cincinnati Lunken Airport, OH (490 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 Cincinnati
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 555 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cincinnati: 343 thunderstorm wind reports, 115 flash floods, 77 floods, 16 heavy rain events and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $8.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 13, 2016. May has had the most flash floods, 22 of 115. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 596 have had fewer than Cincinnati.
August 30, 2019: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Cincinnati — 2 killed, 1 injured, $1,000 damage.
NWS: “Three women were jogging in Spring Grove Cemetery when a thunderstorm rolled in. The women took cover under a large oak tree, but all three women were hit when lightning struck.”
July 20, 2018: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Cincinnati — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “A large, dead tree was blown down, falling onto 4 cars.”
July 21, 2003: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Cincinnati — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Several trees were knocked down near Kilby and Campbell Roads in Harrison. A tree fell onto a house trailer near Harrison, causing some 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 Cincinnati's 41 ZIP codes have filed 1,657 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $32.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 241 claims (15% of all) and $6.8 million, then Not a named storm in 1978 with 161 and Central U.S. April Flooding in 2025 with 73. 30% 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, 316 have fewer than Cincinnati.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 241 | $6.8 million |
| Not a named storm1978 | 161 | $498,000 |
| Central U.S. April Flooding2025 | 73 | $4.1 million |
| March storm2008 | 26 | $649,000 |
Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Landslides, on October 2, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hamilton County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $221.2 million a year, the 3rd highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $109.1 million (49%), 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.