NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit The Plains, 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 The Plains, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 21 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 21
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for The Plains
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed The Plains; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 23 miles away. The record near The Plains begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 41 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. The Plains has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 21 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on September 16, 2010; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 21, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 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, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than The Plains. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1982, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 49% have more hail reports within 10 miles than The Plains.
Compare The Plains's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near The Plains
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 23 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 The Plains: 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 The Plains
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s9(1 EF3+)
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF3 | 24 mi | 9.05 mi | 1 / 16 |
| Jun 8, 2022 | EF2 | 23 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF2 | 4 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Aug 12, 2023 | EF1 | 7 mi | 2.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 2022 | EF1 | 12 mi | 0.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2020 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 2017 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2017 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF1 | 24 mi | 4.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2001 | F1 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F1 | 17 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 12, 1980 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 21, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in The Plains
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of The Plains since 1982, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 28, 2002. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in The Plains
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Athens Ou, OH, 4 miles southeast of The Plains at 684 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 22°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. Snowfall averages 17.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 41.6 inches is more than at 63 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (49%). Nelsonville, 8 miles northwest, has its own station (Logan, OH): 43.1 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 22 | 2.9 | 7 | 5.8 |
| Feb | 42 | 23 | 2.9 | 6 | 5.9 |
| Mar | 52 | 30 | 3.6 | 7 | 2.3 |
| Apr | 65 | 40 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 63 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 54 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 42 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 43 | 27 | 3.2 | 7 | 3.0 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 41.6 | 84 | 17.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Athens Ou, OH (684 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 The Plains
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 218 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of The Plains: 140 thunderstorm wind reports, 53 floods, 21 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $6.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on September 16, 2010. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 438 have had fewer than The Plains.
May 4, 2012: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of The Plains — 1 killed, $250,000 damage.
September 16, 2010: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of The Plains — 6 injured, $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “The upstream tornado lifted, as the rear flank downdraft of the rotating thunderstorm took over. This downburst became the dominant feature in The Plains and around the community of Athens.”
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of The Plains — $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
Athens County, which includes The Plains, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Athens County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.5 million a year, the 30th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.4 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.
Cities near The Plains
- Athens, OH4 mi
- Nelsonville, OH8 mi
- Glouster, OH10 mi
- Albany, OH12 mi
- Corning, OH17 mi
- Logan, OH18 mi
- Mc Arthur, OH19 mi
- Coolville, OH20 mi
- Pomeroy, OH20 mi
- Malta, OH21 mi
- Stockport, OH21 mi
- Little Hocking, OH24 mi
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