NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit West Salem, 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 Salem, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 105 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 105
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
24 deaths in all
What the records show for West Salem
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed West Salem; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near West Salem begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 14 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. West Salem has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 105 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 11, 1965; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 105, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on August 13, 2025. West Salem has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1965, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 49% have more hail reports within 10 miles than West Salem.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near West Salem
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in West Salem: 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 Salem
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s14
- 2000s14
- 1990s28(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s19(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 20 mi | 22 mi | 18 / 200 |
| May 10, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 50.1 mi | 6 / 100 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 20 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF2 | 16 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Sep 4, 2017 | EF2 | 25 mi | 16.67 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF2 | 15 mi | 11.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 2003 | F2 | 15 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 1 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 4 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2001 | F2 | 11 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 105, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in West Salem
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of West Salem since 1965, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently June 15, 2023. The most recent report is from June 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in West Salem
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chippewa Lake, OH, 12 miles northeast of West Salem 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%). Polk, 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 West Salem
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 97 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of West Salem: 84 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 30, 1996. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 231 have had fewer than West Salem.
July 25, 2005: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of West Salem — 1 injured, $30,000 damage.
February 28, 2011: flood 1 mile from the centre of West Salem — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain and rapid snow melt led to widespread flooding across Wayne County. Rainfall totals across the county ranged from one to two inches on February 27th and 28th.”
June 10, 2021: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of West Salem — $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
Wayne County, which includes West Salem, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wayne County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.2 million a year, the 35th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.9 million (58%), 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 Salem
- Polk, OH5 mi
- Burbank, OH6 mi
- Sullivan, OH8 mi
- Lodi, OH8 mi
- Spencer, OH10 mi
- Creston, OH11 mi
- Jeromesville, OH11 mi
- Ashland, OH12 mi
- Seville, OH13 mi
- Chippewa Lake, OH14 mi
- Wooster, OH14 mi
- Wellington, OH14 mi
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