NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Westlake, 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 Westlake, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 73 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 73
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
40 deaths in all
What the records show for Westlake
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Westlake; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The record near Westlake begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 30 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Westlake has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 46% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The highest rating among the 73 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 10 miles. Of the 73, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on July 7, 2025. Of the 605 Ohio cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Westlake. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 133 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Westlake has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 605 Ohio cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Westlake
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Westlake: 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 Westlake
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s6
- 2000s6
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s14
- 1960s7(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 10 mi | 22 mi | 18 / 200 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 1 mi | 118 mi | 17 / 379 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 17 mi | 12 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F3 | 16 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 29, 1966 | F3 | 20 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Aug 20, 1962 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.5 mi | 4 / 20 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 24 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2001 | F2 | 25 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F2 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 26, 1986 | F2 | 13 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 13, 1975 | F2 | 18 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 73, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Westlake
The Storm Prediction Center has 133 hail reports within 10 miles of Westlake since 1959, made on 81 separate days. Of these, 57 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 7, 2010. The most recent report is from May 22, 2024. May has the most reports, 52.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Westlake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cleveland, OH, 5 miles southeast of Westlake at 763 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 22°F. September is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 41.2 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 111 nights a year. Snowfall averages 63.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.2 inches is more than at 56 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (43%). Avon, 5 miles west, has its own station (Elyria 3 E, OH): 41.9 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 84°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Cleveland, OH, 16 miles east, averaged 75°F in August and 40°F in January and February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 22 | 3.0 | 8 | 18.4 | 40 |
| Feb | 39 | 24 | 2.5 | 7 | 15.1 | 40 |
| Mar | 47 | 31 | 3.1 | 8 | 10.8 | 42 |
| Apr | 60 | 41 | 3.8 | 8 | 2.7 | 49 |
| May | 71 | 51 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 | 57 |
| Jun | 80 | 61 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 | 66 |
| Jul | 84 | 65 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 | 74 |
| Aug | 82 | 64 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 | 75 |
| Sep | 76 | 57 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 | 72 |
| Oct | 64 | 47 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.1 | 64 |
| Nov | 51 | 37 | 3.4 | 8 | 4.5 | 54 |
| Dec | 40 | 28 | 3.0 | 8 | 12.2 | 42 |
| Year | 61 | 44 | 41.2 | 89 | 63.8 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cleveland, OH (763 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Cleveland, OH, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Westlake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 292 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Westlake: 258 thunderstorm wind reports, 30 flash floods and 4 floods. They killed 6 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $67.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on August 6, 2024. May has had the most flash floods, 11 of 30. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 515 have had fewer than Westlake.
July 24, 1999: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Westlake — 3 killed, $2,000 damage.
August 16, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Westlake — 2 killed, $75,000 damage.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Westlake — 1 killed, $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
Flood insurance policyholders in Westlake's 2 ZIP codes have filed 30 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $517,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 23% 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, 146 have fewer than Westlake.
Cuyahoga County, which includes Westlake, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 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 Cuyahoga County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes; Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and hail; Very Low for coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $282.4 million a year, the 2nd highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $177.8 million (63%), 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 Westlake
- Bay Village, OH2 mi
- North Olmsted, OH3 mi
- Fairview Park, OH4 mi
- Rocky River, OH5 mi
- Avon, OH5 mi
- Avon Lake, OH5 mi
- Olmsted Falls, OH6 mi
- North Ridgeville, OH6 mi
- Brookpark, OH7 mi
- Berea, OH7 mi
- Lakewood, OH7 mi
- Sheffield Village, OH9 mi
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