NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hillsboro, 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 Hillsboro, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 91 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 91
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Hillsboro
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hillsboro; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Hillsboro begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 23 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 Hillsboro. The strongest of the 91 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 23, 1968; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F2 on April 25, 1961, killed 2 people. Of the 91, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 54 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Hillsboro has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 72% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1969, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hillsboro.
Compare Hillsboro's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hillsboro
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 42 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 Hillsboro: 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 Hillsboro
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s21
- 2000s15
- 1990s13(2 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(2 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F4 | 18 mi | 24.1 mi | 1 / 33 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 15.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Oct 13, 1999 | F3 | 23 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 30, 1993 | F3 | in town | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 16, 1965 | F3 | 24 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Feb 10, 1959 | F3 | 6 mi | 10.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 25, 1961 | F2 | 14 mi | 25 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 25 mi | 11.07 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 22 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Oct 15, 2021 | EF2 | 19 mi | 0.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 24 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 2, 1970 | F2 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 91, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hillsboro
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Hillsboro since 1969, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently April 8, 2020. The most recent report is from April 8, 2020. April has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hillsboro
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hillsboro, OH, 5 miles north of Hillsboro at 953 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 19°F. May is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 46.8 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 115 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.8 inches is more than at 119 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (92%). Seaman, 14 miles south, has its own station (Ripley Exp Farm, OH): 47.9 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 19 | 3.4 | 8 | 6.9 |
| Feb | 43 | 22 | 3.3 | 7 | 5.0 |
| Mar | 53 | 29 | 4.2 | 8 | 3.4 |
| Apr | 65 | 39 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.2 |
| May | 74 | 50 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 53 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 42 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 54 | 32 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 43 | 25 | 3.6 | 7 | 2.2 |
| Year | 64 | 41 | 46.8 | 88 | 18.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hillsboro, OH (953 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 Hillsboro
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 171 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hillsboro: 136 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods, 16 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on June 29, 2012. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 374 have had fewer than Hillsboro.
March 23, 2011: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Hillsboro — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “A greenhouse collapsed due to damaging thunderstorm winds. One woman was injured inside the greenhouse when it collapsed.”
August 17, 2016: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Hillsboro — $300,000 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
Highland County, which includes Hillsboro, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Highland 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 $13.1 million a year, the 61st highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.7 million (59%), 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 Hillsboro
- Lynchburg, OH13 mi
- Leesburg, OH13 mi
- New Vienna, OH13 mi
- Seaman, OH14 mi
- Greenfield, OH16 mi
- Winchester, OH16 mi
- Peebles, OH16 mi
- Bainbridge, OH16 mi
- Sardinia, OH16 mi
- Fayetteville, OH20 mi
- Mount Orab, OH20 mi
- Blanchester, OH23 mi
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