NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rocky River, 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 Rocky River, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isabel in 2003. Since 1950, 60 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 60
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
40 deaths in all
What the records show for Rocky River
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rocky River; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Rocky River begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Isabel in 2003, a tropical storm 73 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Rocky River has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 60 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 10 miles. Of the 60, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 22 have come since 2000. July and August have had the most tornadoes, 15 each. The most recent tornado was on August 6, 2024. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 72% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rocky River. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 142 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Rocky River has more hail reports within 10 miles than 87% of the 605 Ohio cities.
Compare Rocky River's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rocky River
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Rocky River: 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 Rocky River
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s6
- 2000s4
- 1990s12(1 EF3+)
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s7(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 10 mi | 22 mi | 18 / 200 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | in town | 118 mi | 17 / 379 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 14 mi | 12 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 18 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 29, 1966 | F3 | 15 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Aug 20, 1962 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.5 mi | 4 / 20 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 21 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 26, 1986 | F2 | 17 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 13, 1975 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1970 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 60, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rocky River
The Storm Prediction Center has 142 hail reports within 10 miles of Rocky River since 1959, made on 90 separate days. Of these, 62 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 7, 2010. The most recent report is from May 22, 2024. May has the most reports, 51.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rocky River
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cleveland, OH, 4 miles south of Rocky River at 763 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 22°F. September is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 41.2 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 111 nights a year. Snowfall averages 63.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.2 inches is more than at 56 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (43%). Brooklyn, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Cleveland Burke Airport, OH): 33.3 inches a year, 7.9 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 84°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Cleveland, OH, 12 miles northeast, averaged 75°F in August and 40°F in January and February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 22 | 3.0 | 8 | 18.4 | 40 |
| Feb | 39 | 24 | 2.5 | 7 | 15.1 | 40 |
| Mar | 47 | 31 | 3.1 | 8 | 10.8 | 42 |
| Apr | 60 | 41 | 3.8 | 8 | 2.7 | 49 |
| May | 71 | 51 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 | 57 |
| Jun | 80 | 61 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 | 66 |
| Jul | 84 | 65 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 | 74 |
| Aug | 82 | 64 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 | 75 |
| Sep | 76 | 57 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 | 72 |
| Oct | 64 | 47 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.1 | 64 |
| Nov | 51 | 37 | 3.4 | 8 | 4.5 | 54 |
| Dec | 40 | 28 | 3.0 | 8 | 12.2 | 42 |
| Year | 61 | 44 | 41.2 | 89 | 63.8 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cleveland, OH (763 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Cleveland, 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 Rocky River
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 326 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rocky River: 288 thunderstorm wind reports, 32 flash floods and 6 floods. They killed 7 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $69.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on August 6, 2024. July has had the most flash floods, 10 of 32. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 525 have had fewer than Rocky River.
July 24, 1999: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Rocky River — 3 killed, $2,000 damage.
August 16, 1997: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Rocky River — 2 killed, $75,000 damage.
April 12, 1996: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Rocky River — 1 killed, 1 injured, $1.0 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 Rocky River's ZIP code 44116 have filed 47 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $602,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1994, with 21. 13% 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, 194 have fewer than Rocky River.
Cuyahoga County, which includes Rocky River, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cuyahoga County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes; Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and hail; Very Low for coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $282.4 million a year, the 2nd highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $177.8 million (63%), 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 Rocky River
- Lakewood, OH2 mi
- Fairview Park, OH2 mi
- Bay Village, OH4 mi
- Westlake, OH5 mi
- Brookpark, OH5 mi
- North Olmsted, OH5 mi
- Brooklyn, OH6 mi
- Berea, OH7 mi
- Middleburg Heights, OH8 mi
- Olmsted Falls, OH8 mi
- Avon Lake, OH9 mi
- Parma, OH9 mi
All Ohio cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Rocky River with another place →