NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cortland, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cortland, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 73 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 73
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
38 deaths in all
What the records show for Cortland
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cortland; the strongest was Connie in 1955, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Cortland begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 27 miles away. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Cortland has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 73 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 9 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 73, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 31 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on August 12, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cortland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 94 times since 1974, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Cortland has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 605 Ohio cities.
Compare Cortland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cortland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 19 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 Cortland: 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 Cortland
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s16
- 2000s6
- 1990s17
- 1980s10(3 EF3+)
- 1970s6
- 1960s3
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F5 | 9 mi | 47 mi | 18 / 310 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 15 mi | 56.2 mi | 16 / 125 |
| Aug 5, 1956 | F3 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1955 | F3 | 5 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 6 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 13 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 15 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 21 mi | 0.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 5, 2017 | EF2 | 14 mi | 6.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2001 | F2 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1995 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Jun 27, 1987 | F2 | 19 mi | 1.5 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 Cortland
The Storm Prediction Center has 94 hail reports within 10 miles of Cortland since 1974, made on 64 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 16, 2011. The most recent report is from April 14, 2024. May has the most reports, 28.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cortland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Youngstown Regional Airport, OH, 6 miles southeast of Cortland at 1,180 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 41.2 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. Snowfall averages 67.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.2 inches is more than at 57 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (44%). Warren, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Warren 3 S, OH): 40.8 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 19 | 3.0 | 8 | 19.6 |
| Feb | 37 | 21 | 2.5 | 7 | 15.1 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 3.2 | 8 | 10.5 |
| Apr | 60 | 38 | 3.8 | 9 | 2.6 |
| May | 71 | 48 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 56 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 60 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 59 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 52 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 42 | 3.3 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 3.0 | 7 | 4.5 |
| Dec | 39 | 26 | 3.2 | 8 | 14.8 |
| Year | 60 | 40 | 41.2 | 92 | 67.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Youngstown Regional Airport, OH (1,180 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 Cortland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 197 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cortland: 186 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 4 floods and 1 lightning strike. 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 85 mph, on May 14, 2010. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 110 have had fewer than Cortland.
July 31, 1999: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Cortland — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Hundreds of trees downed across the county by thunderstorm winds of 60 to 80 mph. A 70 mph gust was measured at Leavittsburg with a 60 mph gust in Mecca.”
May 21, 2004: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Cortland — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Trumbull County and caused widespread damage and power outages. Dozens of trees were downed across the county.”
May 14, 2010: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Cortland — $250,000 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
Trumbull County, which includes Cortland, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Trumbull County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $43.9 million a year, the 14th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $28.6 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.