NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lowell, 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 Lowell, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 21 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 21
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Lowell
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lowell; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Lowell begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 66 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Lowell has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 21 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 5 times; the most recent, on July 10, 2003, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on June 27, 1998, killed 1 person. Of the 21, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on May 9, 2024. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lowell. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1980, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 58% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lowell.
Compare Lowell's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lowell
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 19 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 Lowell: 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 Lowell
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s3
- 2000s2
- 1990s7
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
- 1960s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 1998 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jul 10, 2003 | F2 | 19 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 8, 1998 | F2 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1981 | F2 | 14 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 24, 1971 | F2 | 8 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 2024 | EF1 | 19 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 24 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2000 | F1 | 6 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 23, 1990 | F1 | 24 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 1973 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1969 | F1 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 24, 1969 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 21, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lowell
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of Lowell since 1980, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on February 27, 2023. The most recent report is from May 5, 2025. June has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lowell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Beverly Stp, OH, 6 miles west of Lowell at 624 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 21°F. June and July are the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and October and November the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 44.5 inches over 94 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 23 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.5 inches is more than at 104 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (81%). Marietta, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Marietta Wwtp, OH): 45.4 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 21 | 3.6 | 8 | 7.1 |
| Feb | 42 | 23 | 3.1 | 8 | 4.3 |
| Mar | 52 | 30 | 4.1 | 8 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 65 | 40 | 3.6 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 74 | 50 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 54 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 42 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 32 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 3.3 | 8 | 2.2 |
| Year | 64 | 42 | 44.5 | 94 | 15.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Beverly Stp, OH (624 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 Lowell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 222 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lowell: 118 floods, 90 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $2.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 14, 2015. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 12. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 288 have had fewer than Lowell.
May 23, 2000: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Lowell — 3 injured, $45,000 damage.
June 27, 1998: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Lowell — $750,000 damage.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Lowell — $500,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Lowell's ZIP code 45744 have filed 39 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $308,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1998: 15 claims (38% of all) and $44,000, then Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004 with 10. 64% 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, 175 have fewer than Lowell.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1998 | 15 | $44,000 |
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 10 | $201,000 |
Washington County, which includes Lowell, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.3 million a year, the 34th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.7 million (84%), 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 Lowell
- Beverly, OH7 mi
- Waterford, OH8 mi
- Marietta, OH8 mi
- Fleming, OH9 mi
- Williamstown, WV11 mi
- Vincent, OH13 mi
- Caldwell, OH14 mi
- Vienna, WV15 mi
- Stockport, OH15 mi
- Belpre, OH17 mi
- Waverly, WV17 mi
- Parkersburg, WV18 mi
All Ohio cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Lowell with another place →