NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Racine, 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 Racine, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 20 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 20
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Racine
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Racine; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. The record near Racine begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 63 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Racine has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 20 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 23, 1968; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 7 people. Of the 20, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on August 12, 2023. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 98% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Racine. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Racine.
Compare Racine's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Racine
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 7 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 Racine: 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 Racine
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s4(1 EF3+)
- 2000s5
- 1990s3
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F5 | 19 mi | 34 mi | 7 / 93 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF3 | 14 mi | 9.05 mi | 1 / 16 |
| Jul 10, 2003 | F2 | 23 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2002 | F2 | 21 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 13, 1967 | F2 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 2023 | EF1 | 23 mi | 2.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2020 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2017 | EF1 | 16 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 2007 | EF1 | 7 mi | 1.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2001 | F1 | 17 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1996 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F1 | 18 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 20, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Racine
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of Racine since 1974, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 7 days, most recently May 23, 2019. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. June has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Racine
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ripley, WV, 16 miles southeast of Racine at 608 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 22°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 46.2 inches over 91 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 113 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.2 inches is more than at 116 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (90%). Letart, WV, 5 miles southwest, has its own station (Southside 3 NNW, WV): 46.3 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 85°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 22 | 3.1 | 8 | 6.3 |
| Feb | 48 | 24 | 3.3 | 8 | 1.4 |
| Mar | 57 | 30 | 4.2 | 9 | 1.4 |
| Apr | 70 | 40 | 3.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 50 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 59 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 63 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 62 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 55 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 42 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 32 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 48 | 27 | 3.7 | 8 | 2.3 |
| Year | 68 | 42 | 46.2 | 91 | 11.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ripley, WV (608 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 Racine
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 193 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Racine: 114 thunderstorm wind reports, 59 floods, 16 flash floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $6.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 29, 2012. May has had the most flash floods, 8 of 16. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 353 have had fewer than Racine.
June 23, 2016: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Racine — 1 killed, $500,000 damage.
July 25, 2016: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Racine — 1 killed.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Racine — $2.5 million 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 Racine's ZIP code 45771 have filed 20 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $83,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 65% 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, 99 have fewer than Racine.
Meigs County, which includes Racine, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 5 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 Meigs County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.6 million a year, the 68th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.8 million (84%), 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.