NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Howard, 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 Howard, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 66 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 66
- 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 Howard
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Howard; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 72 miles away. The record near Howard begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 2 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Howard has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 66 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 66, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on June 9, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Howard. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1966, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Howard.
Compare Howard's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Howard
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Howard: 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 Howard
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s5
- 2000s5
- 1990s9
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s5
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 14 mi | 29 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Jun 5, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Sep 20, 2000 | F2 | 14 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 25, 1998 | F2 | 15 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1990 | F2 | 18 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 15, 1989 | F2 | 21 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1985 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1982 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 31, 1982 | F2 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 8, 1981 | F2 | 21 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 8, 1981 | F2 | 8 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 10, 1973 | F2 | 19 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 66, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Howard
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Howard since 1966, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently June 30, 2013. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. June has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Howard
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Danville 2 W, OH, 1 mile northeast of Howard at 970 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 42.4 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 145 nights a year. Snowfall averages 41.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.4 inches is more than at 76 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (59%). Utica, 14 miles southwest, has its own station (Newark Wtr Wks, OH): 43.4 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 17 | 3.1 | 7 | 12.9 |
| Feb | 38 | 18 | 2.5 | 6 | 10.6 |
| Mar | 48 | 26 | 3.3 | 8 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 61 | 36 | 4.0 | 9 | 1.2 |
| May | 70 | 46 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 56 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 57 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 49 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 38 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 29 | 3.0 | 7 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 39 | 23 | 3.2 | 7 | 8.1 |
| Year | 60 | 38 | 42.4 | 87 | 41.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Danville 2 W, OH (970 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 Howard
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 141 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Howard: 132 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 4 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $2.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on February 11, 2009. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 83 have had fewer than Howard.
July 29, 2002: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Howard — 1 killed, 4 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds downed many trees near Apple Valley Lake in northeastern Knox County. S.”
July 22, 2017: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Howard — 1 injured, $75,000 damage.
May 21, 2004: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Howard — $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
Knox County, which includes Howard, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 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 Knox County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low 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 $18.8 million a year, the 47th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.1 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.