NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Jefferson, 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 Jefferson, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 44 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 44
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
29 deaths in all
What the records show for Jefferson
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Jefferson; the strongest was Connie in 1955, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Jefferson begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 49 miles away. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Jefferson has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 44 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 31, 1985, killed 16 people. Of the 44, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. May and July have had the most tornadoes, 9 each. The most recent tornado was on August 12, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 86% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Jefferson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 83% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Jefferson.
Compare Jefferson's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Jefferson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 8 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 Jefferson: 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 Jefferson
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s11
- 2000s1
- 1990s4
- 1980s11(3 EF3+)
- 1970s3
- 1960s4
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 21 mi | 56.2 mi | 16 / 125 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 12 mi | 14 mi | 12 / 82 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 12 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 30 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 18 mi | 4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 24 mi | 0.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | EF2 | 20 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 5, 2017 | EF2 | 15 mi | 6.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1995 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1985 | F2 | in town | 33.4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 4 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Jul 4, 1969 | F2 | 19 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Jul 24, 1967 | F2 | in town | 16.4 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 44, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Jefferson
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of Jefferson since 1974, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently September 26, 2011. The most recent report is from October 6, 2024. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Jefferson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ashtabula Co Airport, OH, 4 miles northeast of Jefferson at 924 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 37.3 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. That 37.3 inches is more than at 16 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (12%). Dorset, 5 miles southeast, has its own station (Dorset, OH): 47.0 inches a year, 9.7 more than here, and the same July average high, 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 19 | 1.9 | 6 |
| Feb | 36 | 19 | 1.7 | 5 |
| Mar | 44 | 26 | 2.4 | 6 |
| Apr | 58 | 36 | 3.4 | 8 |
| May | 69 | 46 | 3.3 | 8 |
| Jun | 77 | 55 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Jul | 81 | 60 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Aug | 79 | 58 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Sep | 73 | 52 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 42 | 3.7 | 9 |
| Nov | 49 | 34 | 3.1 | 8 |
| Dec | 38 | 26 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Year | 58 | 40 | 37.3 | 81 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ashtabula Co Airport, OH (924 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 Jefferson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 102 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Jefferson: 95 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods and 1 flood. They killed 2 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $12.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 72 mph, on March 25, 2023. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 110 have had fewer than Jefferson.
April 12, 1996: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Jefferson — 2 killed, $100,000 damage.
July 31, 1999: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Jefferson — 2 injured, $60,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees and power poles downed across the county with a 60 mph gust measured in Orwell. The library in Orwell lost some its siding and the Orwell Fire Department was damaged when fallen trees poked three 15 inch holes into its roof.”
May 22, 2004: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Jefferson — $8.1 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Jefferson's ZIP code 44047 have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $190,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 12% 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, 79 have fewer than Jefferson.
Ashtabula County, which includes Jefferson, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ashtabula County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.5 million a year, the 44th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.4 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.
Cities near Jefferson
- Dorset, OH5 mi
- Rock Creek, OH8 mi
- Rome, OH9 mi
- Ashtabula, OH10 mi
- Kingsville, OH11 mi
- Geneva, OH12 mi
- Andover, OH12 mi
- Orwell, OH14 mi
- Thompson, OH17 mi
- Conneaut, OH17 mi
- Madison, OH17 mi
- Linesville, PA17 mi
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