NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lynchburg, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Lynchburg, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 113 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 113
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
15 deaths in all
What the records show for Lynchburg
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lynchburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 25 miles away. The record near Lynchburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 36 miles away. Of the 605 Ohio cities on this site, 82% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Lynchburg. The highest rating among the 113 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 9, 1999, came within 23 miles. Of the 113, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 71 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Lynchburg has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 92% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1977, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 84% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lynchburg.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lynchburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 50 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 Lynchburg: 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 Lynchburg
By decade
- 2020s26
- 2010s23(1 EF3+)
- 2000s22
- 1990s17(2 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s10
- 1960s8(3 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 1999 | F4 | 23 mi | 10 mi | 4 / 65 |
| Apr 23, 1968 | F4 | 6 mi | 24.1 mi | 1 / 33 |
| Aug 9, 1969 | F3 | 18 mi | 22.2 mi | 4 / 247 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 24 mi | 20.41 mi | 3 / 13 |
| Jun 30, 1993 | F3 | 10 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 10, 1969 | F3 | 24 mi | 54.5 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Feb 10, 1959 | F3 | 11 mi | 10.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 25, 1961 | F2 | 8 mi | 25 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 22 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Jul 6, 2022 | EF2 | 16 mi | 4.81 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 9, 1999 | F2 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F2 | 23 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 113, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lynchburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Lynchburg since 1977, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 13, 1998. The most recent report is from July 15, 2024. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lynchburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hillsboro, OH, 11 miles east of Lynchburg at 953 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 19°F. May is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 46.8 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 115 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.8 inches is more than at 119 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (92%). Fayetteville, 8 miles west, has its own station (Cincinnati, OH): 42.4 inches a year, 4.4 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 19 | 3.4 | 8 | 6.9 |
| Feb | 43 | 22 | 3.3 | 7 | 5.0 |
| Mar | 53 | 29 | 4.2 | 8 | 3.4 |
| Apr | 65 | 39 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.2 |
| May | 74 | 50 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 53 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 42 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 54 | 32 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 43 | 25 | 3.6 | 7 | 2.2 |
| Year | 64 | 41 | 46.8 | 88 | 18.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hillsboro, OH (953 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 Lynchburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 172 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lynchburg: 125 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 floods, 14 flash floods and 4 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $989,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 20, 2011. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 14. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 319 have had fewer than Lynchburg.
July 2, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Lynchburg — $100,000 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
Highland County, which includes Lynchburg, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Highland County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.1 million a year, the 61st highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.7 million (59%), 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 Lynchburg
- Fayetteville, OH8 mi
- New Vienna, OH10 mi
- Blanchester, OH11 mi
- Hillsboro, OH13 mi
- Mount Orab, OH13 mi
- Williamsburg, OH15 mi
- Pleasant Plain, OH16 mi
- Sardinia, OH16 mi
- Clarksville, OH16 mi
- Leesburg, OH17 mi
- Goshen, OH17 mi
- Wilmington, OH17 mi
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