NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wadsworth, 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 Wadsworth, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 96 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 96
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
19 deaths in all
What the records show for Wadsworth
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Wadsworth; the strongest was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near Wadsworth begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 75 miles away. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Wadsworth has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 96 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 11, 1965; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 96, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on July 28, 2025. Wadsworth has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 79% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 157 times since 1959, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Wadsworth has more hail reports within 10 miles than 90% of the 605 Ohio cities.
Compare Wadsworth's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wadsworth
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Wadsworth: 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 Wadsworth
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s15
- 2000s15
- 1990s22(2 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 21 mi | 22 mi | 18 / 200 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 21 mi | 12 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 15 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 14 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 3, 1973 | F3 | 19 mi | 12.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF2 | 17 mi | 11.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 2003 | F2 | 19 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 23 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 14 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 21 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 17 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 21, 2001 | F2 | 16 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 96, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wadsworth
The Storm Prediction Center has 157 hail reports within 10 miles of Wadsworth since 1959, made on 98 separate days. Of these, 58 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 3 days, most recently August 1, 2011. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 39.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wadsworth
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chippewa Lake, OH, 11 miles west of Wadsworth at 1,180 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 40.6 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 133 nights a year. Snowfall averages 35.7 inches a year, most of it in January and December. That 40.6 inches is more than at 45 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (35%). Rittman, 5 miles southwest, has its own station (Wooster Wayne Co Airport, OH): 36.8 inches a year, 3.8 less than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 17 | 2.9 | 7 | 9.9 |
| Feb | 35 | 18 | 2.2 | 5 | 8.2 |
| Mar | 45 | 26 | 3.1 | 7 | 5.6 |
| Apr | 58 | 37 | 3.7 | 9 | 0.6 |
| May | 69 | 47 | 4.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 57 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 60 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 52 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 41 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 48 | 31 | 3.0 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Dec | 37 | 23 | 2.9 | 7 | 9.9 |
| Year | 58 | 39 | 40.6 | 84 | 35.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chippewa Lake, OH (1,180 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 Wadsworth
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 202 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wadsworth: 183 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $36.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 84 mph, on June 30, 1998. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 16. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 353 have had fewer than Wadsworth.
August 4, 2017: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Wadsworth — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
July 7, 1996: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Wadsworth — 6 injured, $30,000 damage.
July 13, 2016: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Wadsworth — 3 injured.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds downed several large tree limbs.”
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 Wadsworth's ZIP code 44281 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $114,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 14% 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, 46 have fewer than Wadsworth.
Medina County, which includes Wadsworth, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Medina County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding 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 $35.0 million a year, the 20th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.6 million (59%), 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.