NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Leetonia, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Leetonia, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 70 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 70
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
32 deaths in all
What the records show for Leetonia
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Leetonia; the strongest was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 43 miles away. The record near Leetonia begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 29 miles away. Of the 7 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Leetonia has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 90% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 70 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 70, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 22 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on May 7, 2024. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 58% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Leetonia. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 72 times since 1983, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Leetonia has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 605 Ohio cities.
Compare Leetonia's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Leetonia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | overhead | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 51 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 Leetonia: 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 Leetonia
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s6
- 2000s5
- 1990s19
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F5 | 24 mi | 47 mi | 18 / 310 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 15 mi | 39 mi | 9 / 120 |
| Aug 5, 1956 | F3 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Oct 12, 1978 | F3 | 3 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 16, 1965 | F2 | 20 mi | 5.9 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Sep 30, 1954 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 20 mi | 15.32 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF2 | 21 mi | 6.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2001 | F2 | 17 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Jun 27, 1987 | F2 | 15 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | in town | 15 mi | 0 / 20 |
The strongest 12 of 70, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Leetonia
The Storm Prediction Center has 72 hail reports within 10 miles of Leetonia since 1983, made on 59 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 2, 1998. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Leetonia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Castle 1 N, PA, 23 miles northeast of Leetonia at 825 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 42.0 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.0 inches is more than at 69 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (53%). Salem, 6 miles northwest, has its own station (Warren 3 S, OH): 40.8 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 19 | 2.9 | 7 | 10.1 |
| Feb | 40 | 20 | 2.2 | 6 | 7.7 |
| Mar | 49 | 27 | 3.1 | 7 | 3.7 |
| Apr | 63 | 36 | 3.7 | 9 | 0.3 |
| May | 73 | 47 | 3.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 56 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 60 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 59 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 52 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 41 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 42 | 25 | 3.1 | 7 | 4.9 |
| Year | 63 | 39 | 42.0 | 89 | 27.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New Castle 1 N, PA (825 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 Leetonia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 200 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Leetonia: 179 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 floods, 7 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $5.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on August 9, 2007. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 148 have had fewer than Leetonia.
June 8, 2007: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Leetonia — 1 killed.
January 1, 2005: flood 6 miles from the centre of Leetonia — $1.1 million damage.
October 6, 2024: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Leetonia — $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
Columbiana County, which includes Leetonia, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 3 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 Columbiana County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.1 million a year, the 31st highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.4 million (77%), 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.