NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Independence, 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 Independence, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 77 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
40 deaths in all
What the records show for Independence
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Independence; the strongest was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 17 miles away. The record near Independence begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 73 miles away. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Independence has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 10 miles. Of the 77, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on August 6, 2024. Independence has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 52% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 183 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Independence has more hail reports within 10 miles than 95% of the 605 Ohio cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Independence
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 10 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 Independence: 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 Independence
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s13
- 2000s4
- 1990s14(2 EF3+)
- 1980s3(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 10 mi | 22 mi | 18 / 200 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 8 mi | 118 mi | 17 / 379 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 4 mi | 12 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 19 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 16 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 3, 1973 | F3 | 18 mi | 12.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 29, 1966 | F3 | 7 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Aug 20, 1962 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.5 mi | 4 / 20 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 8 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 10 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1975 | F2 | 19 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1970 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Independence
The Storm Prediction Center has 183 hail reports within 10 miles of Independence since 1956, made on 109 separate days. Of these, 95 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 16, 1965. The most recent report is from May 5, 2025. May has the most reports, 60.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Independence
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cleveland Burke Airport, OH, 9 miles north of Independence at 584 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 24°F. July is the wettest at 3.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 33.3 inches over 74 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 91 nights a year. That 33.3 inches is more than at 2 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (2%). Parma, 3 miles west, has its own station (Cleveland, OH): 41.2 inches a year, 7.9 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 81°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Cleveland, OH, 10 miles north, averaged 75°F in August and 40°F in January and February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 24 | 1.8 | 4 | 40 |
| Feb | 37 | 25 | 1.5 | 4 | 40 |
| Mar | 45 | 31 | 2.4 | 6 | 42 |
| Apr | 57 | 41 | 3.1 | 7 | 49 |
| May | 68 | 53 | 3.5 | 8 | 57 |
| Jun | 77 | 63 | 2.8 | 7 | 66 |
| Jul | 81 | 68 | 3.7 | 6 | 74 |
| Aug | 80 | 67 | 3.5 | 6 | 75 |
| Sep | 74 | 60 | 2.9 | 6 | 72 |
| Oct | 63 | 49 | 3.2 | 8 | 64 |
| Nov | 51 | 38 | 2.9 | 6 | 54 |
| Dec | 40 | 30 | 2.0 | 6 | 42 |
| Year | 59 | 46 | 33.3 | 74 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cleveland Burke Airport, OH (584 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Cleveland, OH, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Independence
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 309 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Independence: 254 thunderstorm wind reports, 44 flash floods and 11 floods. They killed 4 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $42.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on August 6, 2024. July has had the most flash floods, 11 of 44. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 569 have had fewer than Independence.
August 16, 1997: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Independence — 2 killed, $75,000 damage.
April 12, 1996: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Independence — 1 killed, 1 injured, $1.0 million damage.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Independence — 1 killed, $10,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Independence's ZIP code 44131 have filed 215 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $15.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1990: 27 claims (13% of all) and $726,000, then Late winter storms in 2011 with 26. The year with the most claims was 2011, with 33. 25% 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, 299 have fewer than Independence.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1990 | 27 | $726,000 |
| Late winter storms2011 | 26 | $3.6 million |
Cuyahoga County, which includes Independence, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cuyahoga County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes; Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and hail; Very Low for coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $282.4 million a year, the 2nd highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $177.8 million (63%), 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 Independence
- Garfield Heights, OH3 mi
- Parma, OH3 mi
- Broadview Heights, OH5 mi
- Brooklyn, OH5 mi
- Maple Heights, OH5 mi
- Cleveland, OH6 mi
- Brecksville, OH6 mi
- Middleburg Heights, OH6 mi
- Bedford, OH7 mi
- North Royalton, OH7 mi
- Northfield, OH8 mi
- Brookpark, OH8 mi
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