NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit West Jefferson, 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 West Jefferson, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 91 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 91
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
37 deaths in all
What the records show for West Jefferson
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed West Jefferson; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. The record near West Jefferson begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 31 miles away. Of the 605 Ohio cities on this site, 82% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than West Jefferson. The strongest of the 91 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 36 people. Of the 91, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 45 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on July 19, 2025. West Jefferson has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 72% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1960, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than West Jefferson.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near West Jefferson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 34 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 West Jefferson: 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 West Jefferson
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s20
- 2000s8
- 1990s7
- 1980s11
- 1970s15(3 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 17 mi | 31.3 mi | 36 / 1150 |
| May 10, 1973 | F3 | 12 mi | 89.6 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Feb 22, 1971 | F3 | 19 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 14 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 19.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2024 | EF2 | 6 mi | 21.11 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 11, 2006 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | in town | 15.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1973 | F2 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 25, 1973 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1973 | F2 | 14 mi | 17.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 22, 1971 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 91, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in West Jefferson
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of West Jefferson since 1960, made on 49 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently April 16, 2013. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. June has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in West Jefferson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is London Fish Hatchery, OH, 12 miles west of West Jefferson at 1,120 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 42.4 inches over 76 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 132 nights a year. That 42.4 inches is more than at 76 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (59%). Galloway, 6 miles east, has its own station (Columbus Wcmh, OH): 44.6 inches a year, 2.2 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 19 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Feb | 37 | 21 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Apr | 61 | 39 | 4.1 | 8 |
| May | 71 | 50 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Jun | 79 | 60 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 82 | 63 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 50 | 32 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Dec | 39 | 24 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 42.4 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at London Fish Hatchery, OH (1,120 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 West Jefferson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 104 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of West Jefferson: 90 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 floods and 2 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 12, and the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on July 10, 2013.
July 10, 2013: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of West Jefferson — 6 injured, $1.0 million damage.
August 9, 2000: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of West Jefferson — 5 injured, $50,000 damage.
August 12, 2021: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of West Jefferson — 1 injured, $10,000 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
Madison County, which includes West Jefferson, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Madison 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 $11.1 million a year, the 70th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.7 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 West Jefferson
- Galloway, OH6 mi
- London, OH8 mi
- Hilliard, OH9 mi
- Plain City, OH11 mi
- Grove City, OH12 mi
- Orient, OH13 mi
- Dublin, OH14 mi
- Mount Sterling, OH16 mi
- Columbus, OH16 mi
- South Vienna, OH17 mi
- Mechanicsburg, OH17 mi
- Commercial Point, OH17 mi
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