NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ottawa, 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 Ottawa, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 94 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 94
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
39 deaths in all
What the records show for Ottawa
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ottawa; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. The record near Ottawa begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 605 Ohio cities on this site, 53% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Ottawa. The highest rating among the 94 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on November 10, 2002, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 8, 1953, killed 17 people. Of the 94, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Ottawa has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 61 times since 1962, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 61% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ottawa.
Compare Ottawa's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ottawa
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ottawa: 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 Ottawa
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s19
- 2000s12(2 EF3+)
- 1990s11
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s17(3 EF3+)
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 16 mi | 118 mi | 17 / 379 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 12 mi | 32.5 mi | 13 / 104 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F4 | 13 mi | 52.8 mi | 4 / 17 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 25 mi | 52.5 mi | 4 / 125 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 22 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 1 mi | 32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 2, 1971 | F3 | 5 mi | 39.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1971 | F3 | 7 mi | 31.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1950 | F3 | 14 mi | 9.7 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 13 mi | 4.68 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 10 mi | 11.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 94, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ottawa
The Storm Prediction Center has 61 hail reports within 10 miles of Ottawa since 1962, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently May 28, 2019. The most recent report is from October 23, 2020. June has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ottawa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pandora, OH, 7 miles southeast of Ottawa at 770 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 19°F. May is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 38.7 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. Snowfall averages 32.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.7 inches is more than at 28 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (22%). Continental, 12 miles northwest, has its own station (Defiance, OH): 38.0 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 19 | 2.6 | 6 | 10.6 |
| Feb | 37 | 22 | 2.2 | 5 | 8.3 |
| Mar | 48 | 30 | 2.6 | 6 | 4.3 |
| Apr | 61 | 40 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.8 |
| May | 73 | 51 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 61 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 54 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 44 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 50 | 34 | 2.8 | 6 | 1.9 |
| Dec | 38 | 25 | 2.6 | 6 | 6.5 |
| Year | 61 | 42 | 38.7 | 77 | 32.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pandora, OH (770 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 Ottawa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 96 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ottawa: 92 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on June 29, 2012.
May 18, 1997: thunderstorm wind in Ottawa — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees down including one that fell on a car causing a fatality.”
March 10, 2009: flood 2 miles from the centre of Ottawa — 1 killed.
NWS: “Flood waters from the Blanchard River, near Glandorf, caused a truck to be swept off the road on Road 15, north of Road J. Investigators believe that the driver exited the truck attempting to escape the flood water and was swept away.”
July 21, 1998: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Ottawa — 1 injured, $250,000 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 Ottawa's ZIP code 45875 have filed 440 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $9.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1981: 55 claims (13% of all) and $251,000, then Late winter storms in 2011 with 25. The year with the most claims was 2007, with 188. 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, 309 have fewer than Ottawa.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1981 | 55 | $251,000 |
| Late winter storms2011 | 25 | $281,000 |
Putnam County, which includes Ottawa, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Putnam County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.9 million a year, the 59th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.4 million (68%), 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.