NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Washington Court House, 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 Washington Court House, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 84 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 84
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Washington Court House
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Washington Court House; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near Washington Court House begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 27 miles away. Of the 605 Ohio cities on this site, 82% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Washington Court House. The highest rating among the 84 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 14, 2014, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on April 25, 1961, killed 2 people. Of the 84, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Washington Court House has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 50 times since 1967, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 73% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Washington Court House.
Compare Washington Court House's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Washington Court House
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 62 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 Washington Court House: 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 Washington Court House
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s18(1 EF3+)
- 2000s13
- 1990s12(2 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s9
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 14, 2014 | EF3 | 23 mi | 8.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 13, 1999 | F3 | 20 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 30, 1993 | F3 | 25 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 10, 1969 | F3 | 18 mi | 54.5 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Nov 16, 1965 | F3 | 2 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 25, 1961 | F2 | 12 mi | 25 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 2 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Oct 15, 2021 | EF2 | 15 mi | 0.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F2 | in town | 35 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 17 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 22 mi | 15.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 84, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Washington Court House
The Storm Prediction Center has 50 hail reports within 10 miles of Washington Court House since 1967, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 16, 2025, the most recent report. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Radar-estimated hail days in Washington Court House since 2019 →
Weather by month in Washington Court House
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Washington Court House, OH, in Washington Court House at 957 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 20°F. May is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 41.0 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 115 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.0 inches is more than at 53 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (41%). Sabina, 11 miles west, has its own station (Wilmington 3 N, OH): 43.3 inches a year, 2.3 more than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 20 | 3.0 | 7 | 7.9 |
| Feb | 40 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 | 3.7 |
| Mar | 50 | 30 | 3.8 | 8 | 2.8 |
| Apr | 64 | 40 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.3 |
| May | 73 | 51 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 54 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 42 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 52 | 32 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 41 | 25 | 3.2 | 7 | 2.7 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 41.0 | 83 | 18.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Washington Court House, OH (957 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 Washington Court House
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 131 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Washington Court House: 102 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 14 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 9, 2001. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 14. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 319 have had fewer than Washington Court House.
October 13, 1999: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Washington Court House — 2 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “A downburst from a thunderstorm blew a mobile home on its side causing minor injuries to the two occupants. Trees and utility poles were also uprooted and knocked across main roads and railroad tracks.”
July 13, 2014: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Washington Court House — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
January 1, 2005: flood 2 miles from the centre of Washington Court House — $750,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Washington Court House's ZIP code 43160 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $11,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 318 Ohio cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 9 have fewer than Washington Court House.
Fayette County, which includes Washington Court House, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fayette County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.5 million a year, the 75th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.8 million (61%), 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 Washington Court House
- New Holland, OH9 mi
- Jeffersonville, OH11 mi
- Sabina, OH11 mi
- Greenfield, OH13 mi
- Leesburg, OH14 mi
- Mount Sterling, OH15 mi
- Frankfort, OH16 mi
- Jamestown, OH18 mi
- Williamsport, OH18 mi
- New Vienna, OH19 mi
- Wilmington, OH22 mi
- Bainbridge, OH23 mi
All Ohio cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Washington Court House with another place →