NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit West Union, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of West Union, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 66 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 66
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for West Union
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed West Union; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 18 miles away. The record near West Union begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 11 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. West Union has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 66 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 23, 1968; its path passed within a mile of the city centre, and it killed 6 people. Of the 66, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than West Union. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 46 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 605 Ohio cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than West Union.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near West Union
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 18 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 Union: 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 Union
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s17(1 EF3+)
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F4 | in town | 78.7 mi | 6 / 364 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 25 mi | 20.41 mi | 3 / 13 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 3 mi | 15.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 10, 2003 | F3 | 13 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Jun 30, 1993 | F3 | 19 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 7, 1967 | F3 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 10, 1959 | F3 | 20 mi | 10.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 2 mi | 11.07 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 11 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F2 | 19 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F2 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 9, 1981 | F2 | 15 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 66, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in West Union
The Storm Prediction Center has 46 hail reports within 10 miles of West Union since 1969, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 21, 2014. The most recent report is from August 17, 2024. May has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in West Union
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ripley Exp Farm, OH, 14 miles west of West Union at 880 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 17°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 47.9 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. Snowfall averages 17.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.9 inches is more than at 123 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (95%). Manchester, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Maysville Wwtp, KY): 48.4 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 17 | 3.4 | 7 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 44 | 20 | 3.2 | 6 | 5.2 |
| Mar | 53 | 27 | 4.1 | 8 | 2.7 |
| Apr | 66 | 37 | 4.5 | 10 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 48 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 57 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 60 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 58 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 50 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 39 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 54 | 30 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 44 | 21 | 3.9 | 7 | 2.1 |
| Year | 65 | 39 | 47.9 | 88 | 17.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ripley Exp Farm, OH (880 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 Union
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 170 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of West Union: 109 thunderstorm wind reports, 31 floods, 29 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 15, 2007. May has had the most flash floods, 10 of 29. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 507 have had fewer than West Union.
May 4, 2024: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of West Union — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
April 23, 1996: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of West Union — $100,000 damage.
July 29, 2021: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of West Union — $100,000 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 West Union's ZIP code 45693 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1996, and were paid $296,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 29% 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, 46 have fewer than West Union.
Adams County, which includes West Union, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Adams County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.8 million a year, the 62nd highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.6 million (75%), 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 Union
- Manchester, OH8 mi
- Seaman, OH11 mi
- Winchester, OH12 mi
- Ripley, OH14 mi
- Peebles, OH16 mi
- Maysville, KY17 mi
- Tollesboro, KY17 mi
- Sardinia, OH18 mi
- Georgetown, OH20 mi
- Vanceburg, KY20 mi
- Augusta, KY25 mi
- Mc Dermott, OH25 mi
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