NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cuyahoga Falls, 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 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
41 deaths in all
What the records show for Cuyahoga Falls
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cuyahoga Falls; the strongest was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near Cuyahoga Falls begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 62 miles away. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Cuyahoga Falls has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 86, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on July 7, 2025. Cuyahoga Falls has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 66% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 211 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Cuyahoga Falls has more hail reports within 10 miles than 99% of the 605 Ohio cities.
Compare Cuyahoga Falls's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cuyahoga Falls
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 28 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 Cuyahoga Falls: 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 Cuyahoga Falls
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s16
- 2000s9
- 1990s17(2 EF3+)
- 1980s6(2 EF3+)
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F5 | 18 mi | 47 mi | 18 / 310 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 22 mi | 22 mi | 18 / 200 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 14 mi | 12 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 1 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 20 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 3, 1973 | F3 | 5 mi | 12.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 29, 1966 | F3 | 21 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Aug 20, 1962 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 4 / 20 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 19 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 12 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 20 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cuyahoga Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 211 hail reports within 10 miles of Cuyahoga Falls since 1955, made on 108 separate days. Of these, 109 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on June 8, 2007. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. June has the most reports, 52.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cuyahoga Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Akron Fulton International Airport, OH, 8 miles south of Cuyahoga Falls at 1,044 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 21°F. June and July are the wettest at 3.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 32.6 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 118 nights a year. That 32.6 inches is more than at 1 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (1%). Twinsburg, 12 miles north, has its own station (Cleveland Burke Airport, OH): 33.3 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 21 | 1.8 | 4 |
| Feb | 40 | 22 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Mar | 49 | 30 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Apr | 62 | 40 | 2.8 | 6 |
| May | 73 | 51 | 3.6 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 55 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Oct | 65 | 44 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Nov | 52 | 35 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Dec | 41 | 27 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Year | 62 | 42 | 32.6 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Akron Fulton International Airport, OH (1,044 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 Cuyahoga Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 286 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cuyahoga Falls: 256 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $40.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 99 mph, on June 12, 1998. August has had the most flash floods, 10 of 27. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 493 have had fewer than Cuyahoga Falls.
July 10, 2013: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Cuyahoga Falls — 1 killed, $3.8 million damage.
May 22, 2024: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Cuyahoga Falls — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
July 21, 1998: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Cuyahoga Falls — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees were downed, mostly in the northern portion of the county. A measured wind gust of 60 miles per hour was reported at Twinsburg.”
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 Cuyahoga Falls's 2 ZIP codes have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $251,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 6% 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, 71 have fewer than Cuyahoga Falls.
Summit County, which includes Cuyahoga Falls, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 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 Summit County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $102.2 million a year, the 7th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $65.0 million (64%), 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.