NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Orwell, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Orwell, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 56 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 56
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
36 deaths in all
What the records show for Orwell
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Orwell; the strongest was Connie in 1955, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 65 miles away. The record near Orwell begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 41 miles away. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Orwell has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 56 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 56, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on August 12, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 77% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Orwell. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 29 times since 1972, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 94% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Orwell.
Compare Orwell's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Orwell
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Orwell: 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 Orwell
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s13
- 2000s2
- 1990s10
- 1980s10(3 EF3+)
- 1970s3
- 1960s5
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F5 | 23 mi | 47 mi | 18 / 310 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 17 mi | 56.2 mi | 16 / 125 |
| Mar 1, 1955 | F3 | 20 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 6 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 2 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 30 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 13 mi | 0.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 5, 2017 | EF2 | 10 mi | 6.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1995 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1985 | F2 | 12 mi | 33.4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 12 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Jul 4, 1969 | F2 | 21 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Jul 24, 1967 | F2 | 7 mi | 16.4 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 56, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Orwell
The Storm Prediction Center has 29 hail reports within 10 miles of Orwell since 1972, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently June 18, 2014. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. June has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Orwell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dorset, OH, 13 miles northeast of Orwell at 980 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 47.0 inches over 103 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. Snowfall averages 89.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.0 inches is more than at 121 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (94%). North Bloomfield, 6 miles south, has its own station (Hiram, OH): 44.1 inches a year, 2.9 less than here, and the same July average high, 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 17 | 3.3 | 10 | 29.6 |
| Feb | 35 | 17 | 2.6 | 7 | 15.8 |
| Mar | 44 | 25 | 3.0 | 8 | 12.5 |
| Apr | 57 | 35 | 3.9 | 10 | 2.4 |
| May | 68 | 46 | 4.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 55 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 59 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 57 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 50 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 40 | 4.4 | 10 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 48 | 32 | 3.5 | 9 | 8.4 |
| Dec | 37 | 24 | 3.7 | 10 | 20.8 |
| Year | 58 | 38 | 47.0 | 103 | 89.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dorset, OH (980 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 Orwell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 74 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Orwell: 69 thunderstorm wind reports and 5 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on November 5, 2017. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 83 have had fewer than Orwell.
July 26, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Orwell — 2 injured, $30,000 damage.
October 24, 2001: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Orwell — $500,000 damage.
November 5, 2017: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Orwell — $200,000 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
Ashtabula County, which includes Orwell, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ashtabula County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.5 million a year, the 44th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.4 million (64%), 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.