NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Richwood, 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 Richwood, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 59 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 59
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Richwood
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Richwood; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 22 miles away. The record near Richwood begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 47 miles away. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 605 Ohio cities on this site, 53% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Richwood. The highest rating among the 59 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 14, 2024, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on June 13, 1981, killed 4 people. Of the 59, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 19 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on December 29, 2024. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Richwood. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 27 times since 1972, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Richwood.
Compare Richwood's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Richwood
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Richwood: 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 Richwood
By decade
- 2020s9(1 EF3+)
- 2010s6
- 2000s4(1 EF3+)
- 1990s8
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 1981 | F3 | 23 mi | 3.8 mi | 4 / 56 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF3 | 15 mi | 31.33 mi | 3 / 27 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 7 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 10, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 89.6 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 5 mi | 22.2 mi | 4 / 62 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF2 | 7 mi | 19.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 1989 | F2 | 21 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1979 | F2 | 12 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1973 | F2 | 21 mi | 58.2 mi | 0 / 14 |
| May 8, 1973 | F2 | 25 mi | 17.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1971 | F2 | 9 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 13, 1970 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 59, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Richwood
The Storm Prediction Center has 27 hail reports within 10 miles of Richwood since 1972, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 12 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on April 12, 1972. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Richwood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Marion 2 N, OH, 16 miles northeast of Richwood at 965 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 18°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 39.4 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 129 nights a year. Snowfall averages 23.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.4 inches is more than at 31 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (24%). West Mansfield, 12 miles west, has its own station (Bellefontaine, OH): 42.7 inches a year, 3.3 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 18 | 2.7 | 6 | 7.6 |
| Feb | 37 | 20 | 2.0 | 4 | 6.6 |
| Mar | 48 | 28 | 2.7 | 7 | 4.1 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 3.8 | 9 | 0.4 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 32 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 39 | 24 | 2.7 | 6 | 4.5 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 39.4 | 81 | 23.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Marion 2 N, OH (965 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 Richwood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 106 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Richwood: 80 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 floods and 6 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $888,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 10, 2013. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 6. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 110 have had fewer than Richwood.
January 15, 2007: flood 8 miles from the centre of Richwood — $200,000 damage.
August 24, 1998: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Richwood — $150,000 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 Richwood's ZIP code 43344 have filed 20 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1997, and were paid $158,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 10% 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 Richwood.
Union County, which includes Richwood, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Tornadoes, on May 2, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Union County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.0 million a year, the 45th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.9 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.