NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lima, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Lima, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for Lima
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lima; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The record near Lima begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 605 Ohio cities on this site, 53% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Lima. The highest rating among the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on November 10, 2002, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 13 people. Of the 100, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on July 19, 2025. Lima has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 83% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lima.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lima
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lima: 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 Lima
By decade
- 2020s18(1 EF3+)
- 2010s23(1 EF3+)
- 2000s18(2 EF3+)
- 1990s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 5 mi | 32.5 mi | 13 / 104 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F4 | 25 mi | 52.8 mi | 4 / 17 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 14 mi | 52.5 mi | 4 / 125 |
| Feb 18, 1992 | F4 | 24 mi | 2.8 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF3 | 15 mi | 31.33 mi | 3 / 27 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 22 mi | 10.84 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 13 mi | 32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1971 | F3 | 24 mi | 39.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1971 | F3 | 14 mi | 31.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1971 | F3 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1950 | F3 | 3 mi | 9.7 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.68 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lima
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Lima since 1959, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 12, 1980. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lima
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lima Wwtp, OH, 1 mile south of Lima at 850 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 19°F. May and July are the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 41.1 inches over 81 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 121 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.1 inches is more than at 55 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (43%). Harrod, 10 miles east, has its own station (Lima Allen Co Airport, OH): 36.0 inches a year, 5.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 19 | 2.8 | 7 | 6.0 |
| Feb | 37 | 21 | 2.5 | 6 | 5.1 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 3.0 | 7 | 2.8 |
| Apr | 61 | 39 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 55 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 44 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 39 | 25 | 2.7 | 6 | 4.1 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 41.1 | 81 | 18.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lima Wwtp, OH (850 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 Lima
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 133 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lima: 119 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 floods, 6 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $4.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on August 4, 2010. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 6. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 110 have had fewer than Lima.
June 22, 2006: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Lima — 2 injured, $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Widespread tree and power line damage throughout the city of Lima. Along a strech of Shawnee Rd.”
June 9, 2008: thunderstorm wind in Lima — 1 injured.
NWS: “Emergency management officials reported that part of a wall from a building fell onto a man walking by, causing minor injuries.”
June 22, 2006: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Lima — $1.6 million damage.
NWS: “Three aircraft hangars destroyed. About 17 airplanes and the Allen County Sheriff's Office helicopter were significantly damaged or destroyed.”
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 Lima's 5 ZIP codes have filed 139 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late winter storms in 2011: 16 claims (12% of all) and $333,000. The year with the most claims was 2015, with 37. 18% 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, 281 have fewer than Lima.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late winter storms2011 | 16 | $333,000 |
Allen County, which includes Lima, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane, 1 snowstorm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Allen County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $31.9 million a year, the 22nd highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.5 million (70%), 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 Lima
- Harrod, OH10 mi
- Columbus Grove, OH11 mi
- Wapakoneta, OH12 mi
- Spencerville, OH12 mi
- Delphos, OH13 mi
- Fort Jennings, OH15 mi
- Bluffton, OH16 mi
- Ada, OH16 mi
- Pandora, OH17 mi
- Botkins, OH19 mi
- Saint Marys, OH19 mi
- Lakeview, OH20 mi
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