NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Circleville, 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 Circleville, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 73 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 73
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Circleville
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Circleville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The record near Circleville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 5 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 Circleville. The highest rating among the 73 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on October 13, 1999, came within 2 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on March 10, 1986, killed 1 person. Of the 73, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. May and June have had the most tornadoes, 10 each. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Circleville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1966, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Circleville.
Compare Circleville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Circleville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 55 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 Circleville: 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 Circleville
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s16
- 2000s10
- 1990s5(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 1999 | F3 | 2 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Sep 3, 1970 | F3 | 4 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 18 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Jun 8, 2022 | EF2 | 19 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF2 | 13 mi | 5.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 2006 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1971 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 22, 1971 | F2 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1963 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1962 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1958 | F2 | in town | 9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 15, 2021 | EF1 | 7 mi | 2.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 73, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Circleville
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Circleville since 1966, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 11, 1980. The most recent report is from April 17, 2024. April has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Circleville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Circleville, OH, 1 mile northwest of Circleville at 675 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 23°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 41.1 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 19 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.1 inches is more than at 54 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (42%). Amanda, 10 miles east, has its own station (Lancaster Fairfield Airport, OH): 40.4 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 23 | 2.9 | 7 | 6.7 |
| Feb | 42 | 25 | 2.5 | 6 | 4.6 |
| Mar | 52 | 33 | 3.3 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 66 | 42 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 75 | 53 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 64 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 45 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 35 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 43 | 28 | 3.1 | 7 | 2.0 |
| Year | 64 | 44 | 41.1 | 82 | 15.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Circleville, OH (675 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 Circleville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 140 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Circleville: 100 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 floods, 14 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 11, 2014. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 14. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 319 have had fewer than Circleville.
August 8, 2019: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Circleville — 1 injured, $9,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree fell onto a vehicle along Northridge Road near Nicholas Road. One serious injury was reported.”
July 27, 1997: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Circleville — $200,000 damage.
May 11, 2014: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Circleville — $200,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Circleville's ZIP code 43113 have filed 64 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $685,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2005, with 24. 8% 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, 222 have fewer than Circleville.
Pickaway County, which includes Circleville, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pickaway County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.4 million a year, the 48th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.4 million (67%), 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 Circleville
- Stoutsville, OH6 mi
- Ashville, OH8 mi
- Williamsport, OH9 mi
- Kingston, OH10 mi
- Amanda, OH10 mi
- Commercial Point, OH13 mi
- Laurelville, OH15 mi
- Lockbourne, OH15 mi
- Lithopolis, OH16 mi
- Orient, OH17 mi
- New Holland, OH17 mi
- Groveport, OH18 mi
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