Independence, OH tornado history
16 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of the center of Independence, OH from 1950 through 2025, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, ranking 143rd of 360 Ohio cities with a tornado on record. 3 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger by the National Weather Service. The most recent was on August 6, 2024 (EF1, 3.3-mile path); the strongest, on June 8, 1953, was rated F4. The deadliest, on June 8, 1953, killed 17 along its path.
Dashed circle: 10 miles from the city's Census center point. A tornado counts when its recorded path passes inside the circle. Paths run straight from start to end point, as SPC records them.
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Every tornado within 10 miles of the center of Independence, OH
| Date | Rating | Path length | Deaths / injuries | Started in | Closest to center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 2024 | EF1 | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Summit County, OH | 7.2 mi |
| Aug 6, 2024 | EF1 | 16.9 mi | 0 / 0 | Cuyahoga County, OH | 0.6 mi |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Cuyahoga County, OH | 7.0 mi |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF1 | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 | Cuyahoga County, OH | 8.5 mi |
| Jun 16, 2019 | EF1 | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Cuyahoga County, OH | 7.2 mi |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 1.6 mi | 0 / 0 | Medina County, OH | 8.8 mi |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Summit County, OH | 8.1 mi |
| Jul 28, 1999 | F1 | 4.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Cuyahoga County, OH | 2.0 mi |
| Mar 31, 1985 | F0 | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Cuyahoga County, OH | 4.9 mi |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 12.0 mi | 1 / 25 | Cuyahoga County, OH | 3.2 mi |
| Apr 2, 1970 | F1 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Summit County, OH | 8.9 mi |
| Sep 29, 1966 | F3 | 4.5 mi | 0 / 20 | Cuyahoga County, OH | 6.5 mi |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F1 | 8.2 mi | 0 / 6 | Medina County, OH | 9.6 mi |
| Aug 20, 1962 | F2 | 0.5 mi | 4 / 20 | Cuyahoga County, OH | 8.8 mi |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 118.0 mi | 17 / 379 | Henry County, OH | 9.4 mi |
| May 24, 1952 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Cuyahoga County, OH | 7.4 mi |
More: Cuyahoga County tornadoes · Ohio tornado history · Independence hail history · Ohio damaging wind
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Severe Weather Database (SVRGIS) tornado file, 1950–2025, and SPC preliminary storm reports for 2026 (data through November 6, 2026). Ratings are the ones the National Weather Service assigned: Fujita (F) scale before Feb 1, 2007, Enhanced Fujita (EF) after. Paths are drawn as straight lines from the start to the end point SPC records; real paths curve. City and county boundaries: US Census Bureau.
NWS Damage Survey Paths Near Independence
The National Weather Service mapped the path of 6 tornadoes within 10 miles of Independence in damage surveys (1 EF2, 5 EF1). On the map, those paths follow the survey, colored by the EF rating of each stretch, instead of a straight line from start to end.
| Date | Rating | Peak wind | Path length | Max width | Deaths / injuries | On the ground | Surveyed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 2024 | EF1 | 104 mph | 4.0 mi | 150 yd | 0 / 0 | 20:20–20:25 UTC | NWS Cleveland |
| Aug 6, 2024 | EF1 | 104 mph | 17.0 mi | 350 yd | 0 / 0 | 19:59–20:24 UTC | NWS Cleveland |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 120 mph | 1.5 mi | 100 yd | 0 / 0 | 04:07–04:09 UTC | NWS Cleveland |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF1 | 110 mph | 0.8 mi | – | 0 / 0 | 03:59–04:02 UTC | NWS Cleveland |
| Jun 16, 2019 | EF1 | 90 mph | 2.0 mi | 150 yd | 0 / 0 | 19:23–19:28 UTC | NWS Cleveland |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 94 mph | 1.6 mi | 200 yd | 0 / 0 | 17:43–17:47 UTC | NWS Cleveland |
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT): the tornado paths and EF-rating zones NWS survey teams mapped after each storm. Survey data are preliminary and can be revised; NOAA's official record is Storm Data (NCEI). Paths are simplified to about 30 m. Times are when the tornado was on the ground, in UTC.