NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Napoleon, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Napoleon, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 64 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 64
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
23 deaths in all
What the records show for Napoleon
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Napoleon; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 30 miles away. The record near Napoleon begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Napoleon has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 64 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on November 10, 2002, came within 9 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 8, 1953, killed 17 people. Of the 64, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Napoleon. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 49 times since 1965, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 75% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Napoleon.
Compare Napoleon's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Napoleon
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Napoleon: 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 Napoleon
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s16
- 2000s7(2 EF3+)
- 1990s8
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9(2 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 17 mi | 118 mi | 17 / 379 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F4 | 9 mi | 52.8 mi | 4 / 17 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 16 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 22 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 20 mi | 32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 2, 1971 | F3 | 22 mi | 39.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.68 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 24, 2016 | EF2 | 12 mi | 2.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 23 mi | 11.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 9 mi | 7.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 18 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 64, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Napoleon
The Storm Prediction Center has 49 hail reports within 10 miles of Napoleon since 1965, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 9 days, most recently August 9, 2011. The most recent report is from August 27, 2024. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Napoleon
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Napoleon, OH, in Napoleon at 682 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 17°F. May is the wettest at 4.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 37.4 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. Snowfall averages 24.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.4 inches is more than at 17 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (13%). Wauseon, 12 miles north, has its own station (Wauseon Wtp, OH): 35.3 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 17 | 2.5 | 6 | 9.5 |
| Feb | 36 | 19 | 2.3 | 5 | 6.0 |
| Mar | 46 | 28 | 2.6 | 6 | 4.3 |
| Apr | 60 | 37 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 49 | 32 | 2.9 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 37 | 24 | 2.5 | 6 | 4.5 |
| Year | 60 | 40 | 37.4 | 76 | 24.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Napoleon, OH (682 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 Napoleon
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 129 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Napoleon: 121 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods and 3 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $409,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 12, 2013.
June 18, 2014: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Napoleon — 1 injured.
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 Napoleon's ZIP code 43545 have filed 67 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $496,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1985: 13 claims (19% of all) and $43,000. The year with the most claims was 1982, with 14. 19% 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, 225 have fewer than Napoleon.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1985 | 13 | $43,000 |
Henry County, which includes Napoleon, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Henry 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 $13.4 million a year, the 60th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.6 million (71%), 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 Napoleon
- Liberty Center, OH9 mi
- Holgate, OH9 mi
- Wauseon, OH12 mi
- Archbold, OH14 mi
- Defiance, OH14 mi
- Grand Rapids, OH15 mi
- Delta, OH15 mi
- Stryker, OH16 mi
- Deshler, OH17 mi
- Weston, OH18 mi
- Whitehouse, OH19 mi
- Swanton, OH19 mi
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