NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit West Lafayette, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of West Lafayette, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 50 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 50
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for West Lafayette
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed West Lafayette; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near West Lafayette begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 33 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. West Lafayette has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 50 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F2 on March 10, 1986, killed 1 person. Of the 50, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on June 9, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than West Lafayette. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 61 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 61% have more hail reports within 10 miles than West Lafayette.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near West Lafayette
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 71 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 West Lafayette: 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 Lafayette
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s8
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s5
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 21 mi | 29 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 19 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jun 5, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jun 22, 2006 | F2 | 24 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 2003 | F2 | 17 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 13, 1981 | F2 | 14 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1981 | F2 | 14 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 7, 1978 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Aug 14, 1973 | F2 | 17 mi | 12.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1973 | F2 | 20 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 13, 1971 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Sep 26, 1970 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 50, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in West Lafayette
The Storm Prediction Center has 61 hail reports within 10 miles of West Lafayette since 1956, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 11, 1980. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. June has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in West Lafayette
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Coshocton Wpc Plt, OH, 7 miles west of West Lafayette at 760 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 20°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 43.7 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 123 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.7 inches is more than at 96 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (74%). Fresno, 6 miles north, has its own station (Coshocton Ag Rsch Stn, OH): 39.7 inches a year, 4.0 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 20 | 3.2 | 7 | 5.6 |
| Feb | 40 | 22 | 2.6 | 6 | 3.1 |
| Mar | 50 | 30 | 3.7 | 7 | 2.9 |
| Apr | 63 | 39 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.2 |
| May | 73 | 50 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 42 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 52 | 32 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 41 | 25 | 3.2 | 7 | 3.0 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 43.7 | 86 | 15.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Coshocton Wpc Plt, OH (760 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 Lafayette
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 213 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of West Lafayette: 175 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 16 floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $6.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 106 mph, on June 29, 2012. June has had the most flash floods, 12 of 20. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 425 have had fewer than West Lafayette.
January 3, 2005: flood 10 miles from the centre of West Lafayette — $3.4 million damage.
May 11, 2015: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of West Lafayette — $500,000 damage.
April 20, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of West Lafayette — $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
Coshocton County, which includes West Lafayette, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Coshocton County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.6 million a year, the 73rd highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.8 million (74%), 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 Lafayette
- Fresno, OH6 mi
- Coshocton, OH7 mi
- Newcomerstown, OH8 mi
- Kimbolton, OH12 mi
- Baltic, OH13 mi
- Warsaw, OH17 mi
- Sugarcreek, OH17 mi
- New Concord, OH17 mi
- Dresden, OH17 mi
- Gnadenhutten, OH17 mi
- Cambridge, OH19 mi
- Millersburg, OH20 mi
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