NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wellsville, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Wellsville, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 55 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 55
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Wellsville
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Wellsville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 75 miles away. The record near Wellsville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 37 miles away. Of the 8 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Wellsville has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 97% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 55 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1985, came within 17 miles. Of the 55, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 22 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2024. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Wellsville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 67 times since 1986, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Wellsville.
Compare Wellsville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wellsville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Wellsville: 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 Wellsville
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s7
- 2000s1
- 1990s11
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 17 mi | 39 mi | 9 / 120 |
| Oct 12, 1978 | F3 | 18 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 3 mi | 15.32 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF2 | 15 mi | 6.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 15 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F2 | 24 mi | 45.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 1967 | F2 | 14 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 11, 1955 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 1954 | F2 | 24 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 23 mi | 6.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 55, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wellsville
The Storm Prediction Center has 67 hail reports within 10 miles of Wellsville since 1986, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 14, 2014. The most recent report is from April 19, 2025. April has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wellsville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Montgomery L&D, PA, 15 miles east of Wellsville at 690 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 21°F. July is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 40.7 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 111 nights a year. That 40.7 inches is more than at 48 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (37%). New Cumberland, WV, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Steubenville, OH): 43.2 inches a year, 2.5 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 21 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Feb | 38 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 3.6 | 8 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Jun | 78 | 57 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 75 | 54 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Oct | 63 | 44 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 2.8 | 7 |
| Dec | 40 | 26 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 40.7 | 84 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Montgomery L&D, PA (690 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 Wellsville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 231 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wellsville: 202 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 flash floods and 11 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $3.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 23, 2013. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 18. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 393 have had fewer than Wellsville.
July 23, 2013: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Wellsville — 2 injured, $100,000 damage.
July 1, 2023: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Wellsville — $500,000 damage.
July 1, 2023: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Wellsville — $250,000 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 Wellsville's ZIP code 43968 have filed 40 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $99,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1980, with 17. 20% 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, 180 have fewer than Wellsville.
Columbiana County, which includes Wellsville, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Columbiana County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.1 million a year, the 31st highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.4 million (77%), 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.