NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit East Canton, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of East Canton, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 63 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 63
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for East Canton
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed East Canton; the strongest was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 27 miles away. The record near East Canton begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 56 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. East Canton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 63 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on October 12, 1978; its path came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on November 16, 1965, killed 2 people. Of the 63, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on June 5, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 69% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than East Canton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 133 times since 1962, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). East Canton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 605 Ohio cities.
Compare East Canton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near East Canton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 55 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 East Canton: 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 East Canton
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s14
- 2000s12
- 1990s6
- 1980s6
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 12, 1978 | F3 | 18 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 16, 1965 | F2 | 2 mi | 5.9 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Sep 30, 1954 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF2 | 18 mi | 6.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF2 | 25 mi | 11.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2006 | F2 | 25 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 2003 | F2 | 21 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 10 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 23 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jun 30, 1977 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1968 | F2 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 63, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in East Canton
The Storm Prediction Center has 133 hail reports within 10 miles of East Canton since 1962, made on 83 separate days. Of these, 67 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 10, 1980. The most recent report is from October 6, 2024. June has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in East Canton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Akron Canton Regional Airport, OH, 13 miles northwest of East Canton at 1,208 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 20°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 41.4 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 120 nights a year. Snowfall averages 47.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.4 inches is more than at 59 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (46%). Waynesburg, 6 miles south, has its own station (New Philadelphia, OH): 42.3 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 20 | 2.9 | 7 | 13.4 |
| Feb | 39 | 22 | 2.4 | 7 | 12.0 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 3.2 | 8 | 7.6 |
| Apr | 62 | 40 | 3.9 | 9 | 1.7 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 62 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 55 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 44 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 51 | 34 | 3.1 | 7 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 40 | 26 | 2.9 | 7 | 8.9 |
| Year | 61 | 42 | 41.4 | 89 | 47.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Akron Canton Regional Airport, OH (1,208 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 East Canton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 196 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of East Canton: 182 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods and 7 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $8.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 7, 1996. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 7. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 148 have had fewer than East Canton.
July 9, 1999: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of East Canton — 1 injured, $150,000 damage.
March 26, 2026: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of East Canton — 1 injured, $35,000 damage.
June 18, 2014: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of East Canton — $1.5 million 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
Stark County, which includes East Canton, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Stark County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $76.6 million a year, the 8th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $49.7 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.