NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Youngstown, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Youngstown, Ohio since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 82 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 82
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
31 deaths in all
What the records show for Youngstown
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Youngstown; the strongest was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Youngstown begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 16 miles away. Of the 7 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Youngstown has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 90% of the 605 Ohio cities on this site. The strongest of the 82 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 31, 1985; its path came within 9 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 82, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 31 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on August 6, 2024. Youngstown has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 605 Ohio cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 128 times since 1980, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Youngstown has more hail reports within 10 miles than 81% of the 605 Ohio cities.
Compare Youngstown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Youngstown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 31 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 6 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Youngstown: 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 Youngstown
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s11
- 2000s7
- 1990s22
- 1980s12(2 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | F5 | 9 mi | 47 mi | 18 / 310 |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 20 mi | 39 mi | 9 / 120 |
| Aug 5, 1956 | F3 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1955 | F3 | 13 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Oct 12, 1978 | F3 | 16 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 15 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Apr 9, 2001 | F2 | 7 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 9 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Jun 27, 1987 | F2 | in town | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 3, 1986 | F2 | 22 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F2 | 16 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 20 |
The strongest 12 of 82, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Youngstown
The Storm Prediction Center has 128 hail reports within 10 miles of Youngstown since 1980, made on 83 separate days. Of these, 51 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 28, 1999. The most recent report is from May 5, 2025. June has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Youngstown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Warren 3 S, OH, 12 miles northwest of Youngstown at 900 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 17°F. July is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 40.8 inches over 91 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 147 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.8 inches is more than at 50 of the 129 Ohio stations used on this site (39%). Campbell, 3 miles east, has its own station (New Castle 1 N, PA): 42.0 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 17 | 3.1 | 8 | 9.6 |
| Feb | 38 | 17 | 2.3 | 7 | 6.4 |
| Mar | 47 | 25 | 3.1 | 8 | 4.4 |
| Apr | 60 | 35 | 3.8 | 9 | 0.2 |
| May | 71 | 45 | 3.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 54 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 59 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 57 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 50 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 40 | 3.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 31 | 2.6 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 39 | 23 | 2.9 | 7 | 6.5 |
| Year | 60 | 38 | 40.8 | 91 | 27.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Warren 3 S, OH (900 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 Youngstown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 237 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Youngstown: 212 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 10 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $16.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on April 9, 2001. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 14. Of the 597 Ohio cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 319 have had fewer than Youngstown.
June 8, 2007: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Youngstown — 1 killed.
October 13, 1999: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Youngstown — 6 injured, $60,000 damage.
July 9, 1999: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Youngstown — 1 injured, $75,000 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 Youngstown's 7 ZIP codes have filed 70 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2003, with 11. 14% 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, 232 have fewer than Youngstown.
Mahoning County, which includes Youngstown, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mahoning County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $42.5 million a year, the 16th highest of 88 Ohio counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $27.0 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.