NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Port Clinton, 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 Port Clinton, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 50 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 50
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for Port Clinton
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Port Clinton; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 58 miles away. The record near Port Clinton begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Port Clinton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 50 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 5, 2010, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 8, 1953, killed 17 people. Of the 50, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 31 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Port Clinton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1966, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 71% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Port Clinton.
Compare Port Clinton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Port Clinton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 17 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 Port Clinton: 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 Port Clinton
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s11(1 EF3+)
- 2000s7(1 EF3+)
- 1990s8
- 1980s1
- 1970s7
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 11 mi | 118 mi | 17 / 379 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF4 | 23 mi | 8.8 mi | 7 / 28 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 20 mi | 21 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Jun 15, 2023 | EF2 | 24 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2023 | EF2 | 8 mi | 3.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 5, 2017 | EF2 | 23 mi | 0.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 1 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 20, 2000 | F2 | 22 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 24, 1998 | F2 | 1 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 13 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1977 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 50, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Port Clinton
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Port Clinton since 1966, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 1, 2012. The most recent report is from April 9, 2024. July has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Port Clinton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sandusky, OH, 12 miles east of Port Clinton at 584 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 22°F. April is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 34.2 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 105 nights a year. That 34.2 inches is more than at 4 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (3%). Oak Harbor, 11 miles west, has its own station (Fremont, OH): 38.1 inches a year, 3.9 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 82°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Marblehead, OH, 11 miles east, averaged 77°F in July and 33°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 22 | 1.9 | 5 | 33 |
| Feb | 37 | 23 | 1.8 | 4 | 33 |
| Mar | 45 | 31 | 2.6 | 6 | 39 |
| Apr | 57 | 41 | 3.8 | 8 | 49 |
| May | 69 | 53 | 3.3 | 7 | 59 |
| Jun | 78 | 63 | 3.7 | 7 | 70 |
| Jul | 82 | 67 | 3.6 | 6 | 77 |
| Aug | 81 | 66 | 3.0 | 5 | 76 |
| Sep | 75 | 59 | 3.1 | 5 | 72 |
| Oct | 63 | 48 | 2.7 | 6 | 61 |
| Nov | 50 | 37 | 2.6 | 5 | 49 |
| Dec | 39 | 28 | 2.1 | 5 | 38 |
| Year | 59 | 45 | 34.2 | 70 | 55 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sandusky, OH (584 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Marblehead, OH, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Port Clinton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 107 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Port Clinton: 97 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $13.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on June 24, 1998. August has had the most flash floods, 4 of 7. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 148 have had fewer than Port Clinton.
May 29, 2011: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Port Clinton — 5 injured, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “Damaging thunderstorm winds hit the area during the Annual Walleye Festival. Thunderstorm winds downed a large entertainment tent in Port Clinton.”
June 24, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Port Clinton — $4.0 million damage.
August 19, 2011: flood 1 mile from the centre of Port Clinton — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “58 inches over Port Clinton on the 14th. Emergency Management estimates at least half the town experienced some form of flooding as storm sewer systems were overwhelmed.”
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 Port Clinton's ZIP code 43452 have filed 696 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $4.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1985: 49 claims (7% of all) and $88,000. The year with the most claims was 1982, with 192. 7% 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, 312 have fewer than Port Clinton.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1985 | 49 | $88,000 |
Ottawa County, which includes Port Clinton, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ottawa County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, coastal flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.1 million a year, the 36th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.4 million (70%), 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 Port Clinton
- Marblehead, OH9 mi
- Castalia, OH10 mi
- Oak Harbor, OH11 mi
- Sandusky, OH13 mi
- Fremont, OH15 mi
- Clyde, OH15 mi
- Bellevue, OH18 mi
- Elmore, OH18 mi
- Green Springs, OH19 mi
- Huron, OH21 mi
- Curtice, OH21 mi
- Milan, OH22 mi
All Ohio cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Port Clinton with another place →