NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kingston, 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 Kingston, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 56 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 56
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Kingston
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Kingston; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The record near Kingston begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 2 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Kingston has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 56 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on October 13, 1999, came within 9 miles. Of the 56, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. May and June have had the most tornadoes, 9 each. The most recent tornado was on September 25, 2024. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 77% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Kingston. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1966, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 83% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Kingston.
Compare Kingston's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kingston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 45 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 Kingston: 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 Kingston
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s12
- 2000s10
- 1990s4(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 1999 | F3 | 9 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Sep 3, 1970 | F3 | 14 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 8, 2022 | EF2 | 10 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 15, 2021 | EF2 | 24 mi | 0.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF2 | 9 mi | 5.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 22, 1971 | F2 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Jun 5, 1963 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1962 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1958 | F2 | 9 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 15, 2021 | EF1 | 3 mi | 2.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF1 | 6 mi | 1.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 56, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kingston
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of Kingston since 1966, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 26, 2019. The most recent report is from May 4, 2025. May and June have the most reports, 11 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kingston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Circleville, OH, 11 miles north of Kingston at 675 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 23°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 41.1 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 19 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.1 inches is more than at 54 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (42%). Chillicothe, 10 miles southwest, has its own station (Waverly, OH): 43.7 inches a year, 2.6 more than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 23 | 2.9 | 7 | 6.7 |
| Feb | 42 | 25 | 2.5 | 6 | 4.6 |
| Mar | 52 | 33 | 3.3 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 66 | 42 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 75 | 53 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 64 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 45 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 35 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 43 | 28 | 3.1 | 7 | 2.0 |
| Year | 64 | 44 | 41.1 | 82 | 15.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Circleville, OH (675 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 Kingston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 122 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kingston: 82 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 floods and 14 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 11, 2014. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 14. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 319 have had fewer than Kingston.
July 27, 1997: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Kingston — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Several barns destroyed, roof blown off a garage, and numerous trees downed. Some of the trees fell across some of which fell across homes and barns.”
May 11, 2014: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Kingston — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “A storm survey concluded that a microburst occurred in the area and damaged or destroyed numerous grain bins, outbuildings, power poles, and trees. A house also lost part of a roof.”
April 11, 2007: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Kingston — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A silo at the Valley Grain Facility sustained significant damage as a result of a possible microburst. Part of the silo was blown down, causing additional structural damage to several other buildings in the complex.”
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
Ross County, which includes Kingston, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ross County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.5 million a year, the 37th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.8 million (69%), 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 Kingston
- Laurelville, OH9 mi
- Circleville, OH10 mi
- Chillicothe, OH10 mi
- Stoutsville, OH10 mi
- Londonderry, OH14 mi
- Amanda, OH15 mi
- Williamsport, OH15 mi
- Rockbridge, OH17 mi
- Frankfort, OH18 mi
- Ashville, OH18 mi
- New Holland, OH22 mi
- Lancaster, OH23 mi
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