NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Urbana, 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 Urbana, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 89 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 89
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
42 deaths in all
What the records show for Urbana
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Urbana; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 6 miles away. The record near Urbana begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 59 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 Urbana. The strongest of the 89 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 36 people. Of the 89, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 50 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on July 19, 2025. Urbana has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1960, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 67% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Urbana.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Urbana
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 6 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 Urbana: 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 Urbana
By decade
- 2020s19(1 EF3+)
- 2010s26(1 EF3+)
- 2000s5(1 EF3+)
- 1990s10
- 1980s8
- 1970s8(2 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 16 mi | 31.3 mi | 36 / 1150 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 23 mi | 18.4 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF3 | 21 mi | 31.33 mi | 3 / 27 |
| May 14, 2014 | EF3 | 23 mi | 8.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 20 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 10, 1973 | F3 | 7 mi | 89.6 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 28, 1961 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 19.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2024 | EF2 | 17 mi | 21.11 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 8, 2022 | EF2 | 20 mi | 13.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1981 | F2 | 22 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 22 mi | 15.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 89, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Urbana
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Urbana since 1960, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 21, 2014. The most recent report is from July 24, 2023. May has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Urbana
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Urbana Wwtp, OH, 1 mile southwest of Urbana at 1,019 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 44.0 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 121 nights a year. That 44.0 inches is more than at 99 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (77%). West Liberty, 10 miles north, has its own station (Bellefontaine, OH): 42.7 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 19 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Feb | 39 | 21 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Mar | 49 | 29 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Apr | 62 | 39 | 4.3 | 9 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.9 | 10 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Aug | 84 | 60 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 51 | 32 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Dec | 40 | 24 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 44.0 | 86 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Urbana Wwtp, OH (1,019 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 Urbana
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 172 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Urbana: 132 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 floods, 10 flash floods and 5 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on August 7, 2011. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 10. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 231 have had fewer than Urbana.
July 12, 2008: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Urbana — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “A twelve year old boy drowned when he was swept into a flooded culvert. Several roads were flooded and a number of homes in Urbana had high water in basements.”
August 3, 2006: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Urbana — 1 injured, $8,000 damage.
NWS: “Large tree limbs were knocked down. One woman was injured in Urbana when a tree limb fell on her vehicle.”
October 24, 2001: thunderstorm wind in Urbana — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “A woman was injured when a tree fell on her. She suffered a concussion and some cuts and bruises.”
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 Urbana's ZIP code 43078 have filed 27 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $184,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 7% 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, 136 have fewer than Urbana.
Champaign County, which includes Urbana, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 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 Champaign County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.5 million a year, the 74th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.5 million (62%), 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 Urbana
- Cable, OH8 mi
- West Liberty, OH10 mi
- Saint Paris, OH10 mi
- Mechanicsburg, OH11 mi
- Springfield, OH13 mi
- North Lewisburg, OH13 mi
- South Vienna, OH15 mi
- De Graff, OH16 mi
- Bellefontaine, OH18 mi
- New Carlisle, OH18 mi
- Enon, OH19 mi
- South Charleston, OH20 mi
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