NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit South Charleston, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of South Charleston, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 98 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 98
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
38 deaths in all
What the records show for South Charleston
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed South Charleston; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 18 miles away. The record near South Charleston begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 46 miles away. Of the 605 Ohio cities on this site, 82% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than South Charleston. The strongest of the 98 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 2 miles, and it killed 36 people. Of the 98, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on July 19, 2025. South Charleston has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 71% have more hail reports within 10 miles than South Charleston.
Compare South Charleston's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near South Charleston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in South Charleston: 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 South Charleston
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s33(3 EF3+)
- 2000s10(1 EF3+)
- 1990s12
- 1980s10
- 1970s8(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 2 mi | 31.3 mi | 36 / 1150 |
| Sep 20, 2000 | F4 | 14 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 100 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF4 | 25 mi | 18.17 mi | 0 / 166 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 15 mi | 9.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 2014 | EF3 | 6 mi | 8.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1973 | F3 | 24 mi | 89.6 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 10, 1969 | F3 | 19 mi | 54.5 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 21 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Feb 28, 2024 | EF2 | 3 mi | 21.11 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF2 | 25 mi | 7.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F2 | 21 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 98, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in South Charleston
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of South Charleston since 1956, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 11, 1980. The most recent report is from July 24, 2023. May has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in South Charleston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is London Fish Hatchery, OH, 9 miles northeast of South Charleston at 1,120 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 42.4 inches over 76 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 132 nights a year. That 42.4 inches is more than at 76 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (59%). Cedarville, 10 miles southwest, has its own station (Xenia 6 SSE, OH): 43.4 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 19 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Feb | 37 | 21 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Apr | 61 | 39 | 4.1 | 8 |
| May | 71 | 50 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Jun | 79 | 60 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 82 | 63 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 50 | 32 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Dec | 39 | 24 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 42.4 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at London Fish Hatchery, OH (1,120 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 South Charleston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 144 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of South Charleston: 112 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 floods, 9 flash floods and 3 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 29, 2002. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 9. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 201 have had fewer than South Charleston.
January 1, 2005: flood 9 miles from the centre of South Charleston — $425,000 damage.
August 30, 2005: flood 9 miles from the centre of South Charleston — $100,000 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
Clark County, which includes South Charleston, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clark County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.7 million a year, the 21st highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.5 million (66%), 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 South Charleston
- South Vienna, OH8 mi
- Cedarville, OH10 mi
- Springfield, OH10 mi
- London, OH12 mi
- Yellow Springs, OH13 mi
- Jeffersonville, OH14 mi
- Enon, OH15 mi
- Mechanicsburg, OH15 mi
- Jamestown, OH16 mi
- Xenia, OH18 mi
- Fairborn, OH19 mi
- Medway, OH20 mi
All Ohio cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare South Charleston with another place →