NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Marion, 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 Marion, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 62 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 62
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Marion
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Marion; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The record near Marion begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 42 miles away. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 605 Ohio cities on this site, 53% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Marion. The highest rating among the 62 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on November 10, 2002, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on June 13, 1981, killed 4 people. Of the 62, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on April 17, 2024. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Marion. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 82 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Marion has more hail reports within 10 miles than 57% of the 605 Ohio cities.
Compare Marion's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Marion
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 28 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 Marion: 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 Marion
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s8
- 2000s4(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s14
- 1960s7
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 1981 | F3 | 13 mi | 3.8 mi | 4 / 56 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 20 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 12 mi | 22.2 mi | 4 / 62 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 19.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 5, 2017 | EF2 | 20 mi | 1.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 4, 2017 | EF2 | 19 mi | 16.67 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 23, 2000 | F2 | 13 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1990 | F2 | 24 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 15, 1989 | F2 | 15 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1980 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 8, 1979 | F2 | 5 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 13, 1975 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 62, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Marion
The Storm Prediction Center has 82 hail reports within 10 miles of Marion since 1957, made on 64 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently June 12, 2013. The most recent report is from May 22, 2024. June has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Marion
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Marion 2 N, OH, 2 miles north of Marion at 965 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 18°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 39.4 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 129 nights a year. Snowfall averages 23.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.4 inches is more than at 31 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (24%). Caledonia, 9 miles northeast, has its own station (Marion Municipal Airport, OH): 37.5 inches a year, 1.9 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 | 18 | 2.7 | 6 | 7.6 |
| Feb | 37 | 20 | 2.0 | 4 | 6.6 |
| Mar | 48 | 28 | 2.7 | 7 | 4.1 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 3.8 | 9 | 0.4 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 32 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 39 | 24 | 2.7 | 6 | 4.5 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 39.4 | 81 | 23.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Marion 2 N, OH (965 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 Marion
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 130 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Marion: 121 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods and 4 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $3.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 10, 2020.
August 9, 2007: thunderstorm wind in Marion — 1 killed, $1.3 million damage.
NWS: “A severe thunderstorm moved into Marion around 4:10 pm. Numerous trees, large limbs, utility poles and power lines came down during the storm.”
July 18, 1997: thunderstorm wind in Marion — 3 injured, $3,000 damage.
June 10, 2020: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Marion — 1 injured, $125,000 damage.
NWS: “Marion County Emergency Management provided evidence of significant wind damage across the Marion area due to severe thunderstorm winds of up to 80 mph. Numerous trees and power lines were downed across the city with several large trees falling onto residences.”
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 Marion's ZIP code 43302 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1987, and were paid $54,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 17% 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, 25 have fewer than Marion.
Marion County, which includes Marion, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marion County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.7 million a year, the 43rd highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.5 million (48%), 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.