NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Utica, 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 Utica, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 67 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 67
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Utica
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Utica; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. The record near Utica begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 1 mile 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 Utica. The highest rating among the 67 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 3 miles. Of the 67, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on June 5, 2024. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Utica. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1966, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Utica.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Utica
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Utica: 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 Utica
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s10
- 2000s5
- 1990s8
- 1980s11(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 3 mi | 29 mi | 1 / 20 |
| May 10, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 89.6 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jun 5, 2024 | EF2 | 18 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Feb 28, 2024 | EF2 | 14 mi | 14.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 20, 2011 | EF2 | 14 mi | 3.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 11, 2006 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 2000 | F2 | 3 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 25, 1998 | F2 | 2 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1982 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 31, 1982 | F2 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 8, 1981 | F2 | 20 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 20 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 67, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Utica
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Utica since 1966, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 11, 1980. The most recent report is from May 5, 2025. April and August have the most reports, 9 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Utica
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Newark Wtr Wks, OH, 11 miles south of Utica at 835 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 18°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 43.4 inches over 85 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 129 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.4 inches is more than at 93 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (72%). Gambier, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Danville 2 W, OH): 42.4 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 18 | 3.2 | 7 | 7.2 |
| Feb | 40 | 20 | 2.6 | 6 | 3.9 |
| Mar | 50 | 27 | 3.6 | 8 | 2.2 |
| Apr | 63 | 37 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 73 | 48 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 57 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 61 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 59 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 52 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 40 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 52 | 31 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 41 | 24 | 3.3 | 7 | 1.6 |
| Year | 62 | 39 | 43.4 | 85 | 15.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Newark Wtr Wks, OH (835 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 Utica
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 93 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Utica: 78 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 floods, 4 flash floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $822,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 27, 1998.
July 22, 2017: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Utica — 1 injured, $75,000 damage.
April 20, 2003: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Utica — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds downed many trees and large limbs in Tiffin and at least two large limbs in Fostoria. A couple homes in Tiffin sustained roof damage.”
June 14, 2022: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Utica — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and power lines were downed across northern portions of Licking County.”
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
Licking County, which includes Utica, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Landslides, on October 2, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Licking County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $47.7 million a year, the 12th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $32.8 million (69%), 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 Utica
- St Louisville, OH6 mi
- Gambier, OH8 mi
- Mount Vernon, OH10 mi
- Newark, OH11 mi
- Granville, OH13 mi
- Howard, OH14 mi
- Centerburg, OH14 mi
- Johnstown, OH14 mi
- Alexandria, OH14 mi
- Frazeysburg, OH15 mi
- Heath, OH16 mi
- Danville, OH18 mi
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