NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Orient, 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 Orient, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 90 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 90
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Orient
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Orient; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. The record near Orient begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 20 miles away. Of the 605 Ohio cities on this site, 82% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Orient. The highest rating among the 90 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on October 13, 1999, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on March 10, 1986, killed 1 person. Of the 90, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Orient has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1980, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 58% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Orient.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Orient
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 71 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 Orient: 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 Orient
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s17
- 2000s9
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s13
- 1970s14(3 EF3+)
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 1999 | F3 | 16 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 10, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 89.6 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Feb 22, 1971 | F3 | 17 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Sep 3, 1970 | F3 | 13 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 16, 1965 | F3 | 24 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 5 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Feb 28, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 14.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2024 | EF2 | 17 mi | 21.11 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 11, 2006 | F2 | 2 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F2 | 23 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 13 mi | 15.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1973 | F2 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 90, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Orient
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of Orient since 1980, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 35 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 February 27, 2025. April has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Orient
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Columbus-Valley Crossing, OH, 15 miles northeast of Orient at 760 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 43.3 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 118 nights a year. That 43.3 inches is more than at 91 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (71%). Mount Sterling, 9 miles southwest, has its own station (Washington Court House, OH): 41.0 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 19 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 43 | 21 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Mar | 52 | 30 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Apr | 65 | 40 | 4.0 | 8 |
| May | 75 | 51 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Aug | 85 | 61 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Sep | 80 | 54 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Oct | 68 | 42 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 54 | 32 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Dec | 43 | 25 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Year | 64 | 42 | 43.3 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Columbus-Valley Crossing, 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 Orient
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 138 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Orient: 96 thunderstorm wind reports, 30 floods, 11 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $672,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 2, 2009. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 11. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 265 have had fewer than Orient.
June 2, 2009: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Orient — 1 injured, $48,000 damage.
NWS: “A microburst occurred three miles northwest of Darbyville, near the intersection of Darby Creek and London Road. Three barns and a home had significant damage, and a trailer was moved a short distance to the southeast.”
June 23, 2016: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Orient — $110,000 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
Pickaway County, which includes Orient, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pickaway County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.4 million a year, the 48th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.4 million (67%), 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 Orient
- Commercial Point, OH5 mi
- Grove City, OH8 mi
- Lockbourne, OH9 mi
- Mount Sterling, OH9 mi
- Galloway, OH11 mi
- Ashville, OH11 mi
- West Jefferson, OH13 mi
- Williamsport, OH14 mi
- Groveport, OH14 mi
- Hilliard, OH16 mi
- Columbus, OH17 mi
- Circleville, OH17 mi
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