NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Freeport, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Freeport, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isabel in 2003. Since 1950, 33 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 33
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Freeport
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Freeport; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Freeport begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Isabel in 2003, a tropical storm 67 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Freeport has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 90% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 33 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 8, 1969; its path came within 9 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 33, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on May 17, 2024. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 90% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Freeport. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 19 times since 1980, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Freeport.
Compare Freeport's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Freeport
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 29 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 57 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 Freeport: 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 Freeport
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s5
- 2000s3
- 1990s3
- 1980s2
- 1970s4
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1969 | F3 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF2 | 14 mi | 2.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 2003 | F2 | 22 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 23, 2000 | F2 | 15 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1978 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 13, 1971 | F2 | 7 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Sep 26, 1970 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1968 | F2 | 21 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Nov 16, 1965 | F2 | 25 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 22, 1958 | F2 | 13 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 11, 1955 | F2 | 15 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 27, 1954 | F2 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 33, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Freeport
The Storm Prediction Center has 19 hail reports within 10 miles of Freeport since 1980, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 16, 2022. The most recent report is from June 16, 2022. May and June have the most reports, 7 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Freeport
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dennison Wtr Wks, OH, 15 miles north of Freeport at 860 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 61°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 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 42.3 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 139 nights a year. That 42.3 inches is more than at 74 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (57%). Flushing, 9 miles east, has its own station (Cadiz, OH): 42.7 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 20 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Feb | 40 | 21 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 50 | 28 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Apr | 63 | 38 | 3.9 | 9 |
| May | 73 | 48 | 3.8 | 9 |
| Jun | 81 | 57 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Jul | 85 | 61 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 83 | 59 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Nov | 51 | 32 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Dec | 41 | 25 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Year | 62 | 40 | 42.3 | 87 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dennison Wtr Wks, OH (860 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 Freeport
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 84 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Freeport: 68 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 7 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $682,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 13, 2022. April has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 173 have had fewer than Freeport.
November 15, 2020: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Freeport — 2 killed.
NWS: “com/story/news/2020/11/17/bodies-missing-michigan-hunters-found-clendening-lake-ohio/6322047002/ Two men, aged 43 and 60 and residents of south central Michigan, died when an overloaded watercraft, convective wind, and not being prepared for the environmental conditions all played a role in capsizing their boat.”
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
Harrison County, which includes Freeport, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 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 Harrison County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hail and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.1 million a year, the 87th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.5 million (61%), 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.