NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lakewood, 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 Lakewood, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isabel in 2003. Since 1950, 63 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 63
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
40 deaths in all
What the records show for Lakewood
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lakewood; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 73 miles away. The record near Lakewood begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Isabel in 2003, a tropical storm 71 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Lakewood has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 63 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 11 miles. Of the 63, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on August 6, 2024. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 69% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lakewood. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 140 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Lakewood has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 605 Ohio cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lakewood
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lakewood: 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 Lakewood
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s7
- 2000s4
- 1990s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s8(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 11 mi | 22 mi | 18 / 200 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | in town | 118 mi | 17 / 379 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 13 mi | 12 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 18 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 29, 1966 | F3 | 13 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Aug 20, 1962 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.5 mi | 4 / 20 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 15 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 19 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 26, 1986 | F2 | 19 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 13, 1975 | F2 | 21 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1970 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 63, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lakewood
The Storm Prediction Center has 140 hail reports within 10 miles of Lakewood since 1959, made on 89 separate days. Of these, 62 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 7, 2010. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 49.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lakewood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cleveland, OH, 6 miles southwest of Lakewood at 763 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 22°F. September is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 41.2 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 111 nights a year. Snowfall averages 63.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.2 inches is more than at 56 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (43%). Brooklyn, 5 miles southeast, has its own station (Cleveland Burke Airport, OH): 33.3 inches a year, 7.9 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 84°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Cleveland, OH, 10 miles northeast, 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" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 22 | 3.0 | 8 | 18.4 | 40 |
| Feb | 39 | 24 | 2.5 | 7 | 15.1 | 40 |
| Mar | 47 | 31 | 3.1 | 8 | 10.8 | 42 |
| Apr | 60 | 41 | 3.8 | 8 | 2.7 | 49 |
| May | 71 | 51 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 | 57 |
| Jun | 80 | 61 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 | 66 |
| Jul | 84 | 65 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 | 74 |
| Aug | 82 | 64 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 | 75 |
| Sep | 76 | 57 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 | 72 |
| Oct | 64 | 47 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.1 | 64 |
| Nov | 51 | 37 | 3.4 | 8 | 4.5 | 54 |
| Dec | 40 | 28 | 3.0 | 8 | 12.2 | 42 |
| Year | 61 | 44 | 41.2 | 89 | 63.8 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cleveland, OH (763 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 Lakewood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 311 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lakewood: 270 thunderstorm wind reports, 35 flash floods and 6 floods. They killed 7 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $65.5 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, 10 of 35. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 544 have had fewer than Lakewood.
July 24, 1999: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Lakewood — 3 killed, $2,000 damage.
August 16, 1997: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Lakewood — 2 killed, $75,000 damage.
April 12, 1996: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Lakewood — 1 killed, 1 injured, $1.0 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 Lakewood's ZIP code 44107 have filed 64 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $725,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1994, with 18. 6% 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, 222 have fewer than Lakewood.
Cuyahoga County, which includes Lakewood, 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 Lakewood
- Rocky River, OH2 mi
- Fairview Park, OH4 mi
- Brooklyn, OH5 mi
- Brookpark, OH6 mi
- Bay Village, OH7 mi
- Westlake, OH7 mi
- Cleveland, OH7 mi
- Middleburg Heights, OH7 mi
- Parma, OH7 mi
- North Olmsted, OH7 mi
- Berea, OH8 mi
- Olmsted Falls, OH9 mi
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