NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oberlin, 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 Oberlin, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 103 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 103
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
46 deaths in all
What the records show for Oberlin
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Oberlin; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Oberlin begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 33 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 Oberlin. The highest rating among the 103 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 3 miles. Of the 103, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on August 13, 2025. Oberlin has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 117 times since 1962, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Oberlin has more hail reports within 10 miles than 77% of the 605 Ohio cities.
Compare Oberlin's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oberlin
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 57 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 Oberlin: 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 Oberlin
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s13
- 2000s12
- 1990s20(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s20(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 3 mi | 22 mi | 18 / 200 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 10 mi | 118 mi | 17 / 379 |
| May 10, 1973 | F3 | 23 mi | 50.1 mi | 6 / 100 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 12 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Aug 20, 1962 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 4 / 20 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 20 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Jun 15, 2023 | EF2 | 25 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF2 | 24 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 23 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 18 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2001 | F2 | 17 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 2000 | F2 | 21 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 103, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oberlin
The Storm Prediction Center has 117 hail reports within 10 miles of Oberlin since 1962, made on 84 separate days. Of these, 57 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 7, 2011. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 38.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oberlin
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oberlin, OH, in Oberlin at 816 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 18°F. June is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 40.1 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 128 nights a year. Snowfall averages 47.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.1 inches is more than at 36 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (28%). Amherst, 7 miles north, has its own station (Elyria Lorain Co Airport, OH): 36.8 inches a year, 3.3 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 18 | 2.9 | 7 | 14.4 |
| Feb | 37 | 20 | 2.4 | 7 | 12.4 |
| Mar | 46 | 28 | 2.9 | 8 | 8.4 |
| Apr | 59 | 38 | 3.7 | 8 | 1.9 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 3.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 52 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 42 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 3.0 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Dec | 39 | 24 | 2.7 | 7 | 8.5 |
| Year | 60 | 40 | 40.1 | 87 | 47.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oberlin, OH (816 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 Oberlin
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 243 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oberlin: 224 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods and 6 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $12.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 11, 2008. August has had the most flash floods, 6 of 13. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 307 have had fewer than Oberlin.
August 23, 2023: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Oberlin — $3.0 million damage.
August 20, 2005: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Oberlin — $2.0 million damage.
June 22, 2006: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Oberlin — $950,000 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 Oberlin's ZIP code 44074 have filed 23 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $173,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 30% 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, 115 have fewer than Oberlin.
Lorain County, which includes Oberlin, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lorain County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $65.9 million a year, the 10th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $42.7 million (65%), 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.