NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mount Sterling, 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 Mount Sterling, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 92 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 92
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
37 deaths in all
What the records show for Mount Sterling
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mount Sterling; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 39 miles away. The record near Mount Sterling begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 25 miles away. Of the 605 Ohio cities on this site, 82% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Mount Sterling. The strongest of the 92 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 22 miles, and it killed 36 people. Of the 92, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 53 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Mount Sterling has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 74% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 35 times since 1989, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Mount Sterling.
Compare Mount Sterling's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mount Sterling
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 70 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 Mount Sterling: 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 Mount Sterling
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s24(1 EF3+)
- 2000s11
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s11
- 1970s10(2 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 22 mi | 31.3 mi | 36 / 1150 |
| May 14, 2014 | EF3 | 24 mi | 8.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 13, 1999 | F3 | 18 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Sep 3, 1970 | F3 | 17 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 16, 1965 | F3 | 16 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | in town | 28 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Feb 28, 2024 | EF2 | 17 mi | 21.11 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 11, 2006 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F2 | 15 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 14 mi | 15.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 1973 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 22, 1971 | F2 | 7 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mount Sterling
The Storm Prediction Center has 35 hail reports within 10 miles of Mount Sterling since 1989, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 2, 2009. The most recent report is from April 17, 2024. June has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mount Sterling
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Washington Court House, OH, 14 miles southwest of Mount Sterling at 957 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 20°F. May is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 41.0 inches over 83 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 115 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.0 inches is more than at 53 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (41%). Orient, 9 miles northeast, has its own station (Columbus-Valley Crossing, OH): 43.3 inches a year, 2.3 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 20 | 3.0 | 7 | 7.9 |
| Feb | 40 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 | 3.7 |
| Mar | 50 | 30 | 3.8 | 8 | 2.8 |
| Apr | 64 | 40 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.3 |
| May | 73 | 51 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 54 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 42 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 52 | 32 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 41 | 25 | 3.2 | 7 | 2.7 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 41.0 | 83 | 18.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Washington Court House, OH (957 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 Mount Sterling
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 96 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mount Sterling: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 floods, 6 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $507,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 2, 2009. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 110 have had fewer than Mount Sterling.
October 13, 1999: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Mount Sterling — 2 injured, $50,000 damage.
June 2, 2009: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Mount Sterling — 1 injured, $48,000 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
Madison County, which includes Mount Sterling, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Madison County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.1 million a year, the 70th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.7 million (61%), 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 Mount Sterling
- Orient, OH9 mi
- New Holland, OH11 mi
- Williamsport, OH12 mi
- Commercial Point, OH13 mi
- Washington Court House, OH15 mi
- London, OH15 mi
- Jeffersonville, OH16 mi
- West Jefferson, OH16 mi
- Grove City, OH16 mi
- Galloway, OH17 mi
- Lockbourne, OH18 mi
- Ashville, OH18 mi
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