NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lake Milton, 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 Lake Milton, 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
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
23 deaths in all
What the records show for Lake Milton
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lake Milton; the strongest was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 23 miles away. The record near Lake Milton begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 36 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Lake Milton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 7 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 77, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on May 11, 2024. Lake Milton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 52% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 65 times since 1979, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lake Milton.
Compare Lake Milton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lake Milton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 34 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 Lake Milton: 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 Lake Milton
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s14
- 2000s7
- 1990s21(1 EF3+)
- 1980s8(2 EF3+)
- 1970s8(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F5 | 7 mi | 47 mi | 18 / 310 |
| Aug 5, 1956 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1955 | F3 | 20 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 24 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 23 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Oct 12, 1978 | F3 | 18 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 3, 1973 | F3 | 11 mi | 12.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 16, 1965 | F2 | 20 mi | 5.9 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Apr 9, 2001 | F2 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1987 | F2 | 18 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 17 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 20 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lake Milton
The Storm Prediction Center has 65 hail reports within 10 miles of Lake Milton since 1979, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 29 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 August 12, 2023. The most recent report is from August 12, 2023. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lake Milton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Warren 3 S, OH, 12 miles northeast of Lake Milton at 900 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 17°F. July is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 40.8 inches over 91 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 147 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.8 inches is more than at 50 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (39%). Windham, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Hiram, OH): 44.1 inches a year, 3.3 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 17 | 3.1 | 8 | 9.6 |
| Feb | 38 | 17 | 2.3 | 7 | 6.4 |
| Mar | 47 | 25 | 3.1 | 8 | 4.4 |
| Apr | 60 | 35 | 3.8 | 9 | 0.2 |
| May | 71 | 45 | 3.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 54 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 59 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 57 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 50 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 40 | 3.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 31 | 2.6 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 39 | 23 | 2.9 | 7 | 6.5 |
| Year | 60 | 38 | 40.8 | 91 | 27.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Warren 3 S, OH (900 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 Lake Milton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 97 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lake Milton: 92 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on June 1, 2022.
July 21, 2003: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Lake Milton — 1 injured, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm downburst winds caused considerable damage at a mobile park along State Route 193 in Liberty Township just to the north of the Mahoning County line. Three mobile homes were destroyed and 17 others damaged.”
August 8, 2013: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Lake Milton — $2.5 million damage.
July 10, 2013: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Lake Milton — $200,000 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
Mahoning County, which includes Lake Milton, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mahoning County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $42.5 million a year, the 16th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $27.0 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 Lake Milton
- Diamond, OH1 mi
- Berlin Center, OH5 mi
- Newton Falls, OH6 mi
- North Jackson, OH6 mi
- Deerfield, OH6 mi
- Windham, OH11 mi
- Leavittsburg, OH11 mi
- Rootstown, OH11 mi
- Mineral Ridge, OH12 mi
- Sebring, OH12 mi
- Austintown, OH12 mi
- Atwater, OH13 mi
All Ohio cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Lake Milton with another place →