NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Malta, 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 Malta, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 25 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 25
- 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 Malta
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Malta; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. The record near Malta begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 44 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Malta has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 25 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on September 16, 2010, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on March 10, 1986, killed 1 person. Of the 25, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2024. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Malta. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 32 times since 1989, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Malta.
Compare Malta's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Malta
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 34 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 Malta: 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 Malta
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s6
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s3
- 1970s5
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 25 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF2 | 21 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF2 | 21 mi | 6.99 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 24, 1971 | F2 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 19 mi | 0.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 2023 | EF1 | 23 mi | 2.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 16, 2021 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF1 | 15 mi | 1.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF1 | 11 mi | 4.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2000 | F1 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2000 | F1 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1998 | F1 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 25, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Malta
The Storm Prediction Center has 32 hail reports within 10 miles of Malta since 1989, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently June 22, 2006. The most recent report is from May 5, 2025. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Malta
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mc Connellsville Lk 7, OH, 4 miles northeast of Malta at 760 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 20°F. July is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 45.0 inches over 88 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 128 nights a year. Snowfall averages 19.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.0 inches is more than at 108 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (84%). Corning, 9 miles west, has its own station (New Lexington 2 NW, OH): 44.4 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 20 | 3.6 | 8 | 7.7 |
| Feb | 42 | 22 | 2.8 | 6 | 5.2 |
| Mar | 52 | 29 | 3.9 | 8 | 2.5 |
| Apr | 65 | 38 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 61 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 53 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 41 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 32 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 3.4 | 7 | 3.6 |
| Year | 63 | 41 | 45.0 | 88 | 19.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mc Connellsville Lk 7, OH (760 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 Malta
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 133 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Malta: 101 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 floods, 10 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $987,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 22, 2008. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 231 have had fewer than Malta.
May 2, 2010: flood 10 miles from the centre of Malta — 2 killed, $15,000 damage.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Malta — $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 Malta's ZIP code 43758 have filed 33 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $183,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 27% 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, 158 have fewer than Malta.
Morgan County, which includes Malta, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Landslides, on October 2, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Morgan County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.6 million a year, the 83rd highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.5 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.