NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sandusky, 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 Sandusky, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 65 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 65
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
29 deaths in all
What the records show for Sandusky
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sandusky; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. The record near Sandusky begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Sandusky has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 65 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 8, 1953; its path came within 4 miles, and it killed 17 people. Of the 65, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 37 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sandusky. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 98 times since 1957, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Sandusky has more hail reports within 10 miles than 68% of the 605 Ohio cities.
Compare Sandusky's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sandusky
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 29 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 Sandusky: 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 Sandusky
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s13
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7
- 1980s5
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 4 mi | 118 mi | 17 / 379 |
| May 10, 1973 | F3 | 23 mi | 50.1 mi | 6 / 100 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 22 mi | 15 mi | 4 / 30 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 17 mi | 21 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 19 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Jun 15, 2023 | EF2 | 14 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2023 | EF2 | 20 mi | 3.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 5, 2017 | EF2 | 21 mi | 0.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 13 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 20, 2000 | F2 | 10 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 24, 1998 | F2 | 14 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 2 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 65, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sandusky
The Storm Prediction Center has 98 hail reports within 10 miles of Sandusky since 1957, made on 63 separate days. Of these, 47 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 3 days, most recently August 9, 2012. The most recent report is from April 9, 2024. June has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sandusky
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sandusky, OH, 2 miles north of Sandusky 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%). Huron, 8 miles east, has its own station (Norwalk Wwtp, OH): 40.1 inches a year, 5.9 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Marblehead, OH, 8 miles north, 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 Sandusky
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 146 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sandusky: 134 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 floods and 3 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $10.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 113 mph, on November 10, 1998.
June 22, 2006: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Sandusky — 1 killed, 1 injured, $1.2 million damage.
NWS: “A line of severe thunderstorms moved east across Stark County during the early evening hours of June 22nd and caused extensive damage. In addition to straight winds estimated to be nearly 70 mph, this line of storms produced two tornadoes in Stark County.”
August 23, 2023: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Sandusky — 2 injured.
NWS: “Large tree downed onto house and injured two inhabitants in Sandusky. Multiple large tree limbs downed elsewhere in Sandusky.”
July 1, 2012: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Sandusky — 1 injured, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds toppled a tree in Sandusky. The tree landed on a car injuring at least one person.”
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 Sandusky's ZIP code 44870 have filed 462 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1985: 21 claims (5% of all) and $18,000. The year with the most claims was 1982, with 108. 5% 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, 310 have fewer than Sandusky.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1985 | 21 | $18,000 |
Erie County, which includes Sandusky, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Erie County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, coastal flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.2 million a year, the 39th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.4 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.