Lorain, OH tornado history
18 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of the center of Lorain, OH from 1950 through 2025, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, ranking 104th of 360 Ohio cities with a tornado on record. 1 was rated F3/EF3 or stronger by the National Weather Service. The most recent was on August 6, 2024 (EF1, 11.9-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 Lorain, OH
| Date | Rating | Path length | Deaths / injuries | Started in | Closest to center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 2024 | EF1 | 11.9 mi | 0 / 0 | Lorain County, OH | 6.6 mi |
| May 12, 2014 | EF0 | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Lorain County, OH | 9.9 mi |
| Mar 14, 2007 | EF0 | 2.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Lorain County, OH | 6.3 mi |
| Aug 3, 2003 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Lorain County, OH | 3.4 mi |
| Aug 4, 1997 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Lorain County, OH | 2.2 mi |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F1 | 2.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Lorain County, OH | 3.4 mi |
| Jun 18, 1992 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Lorain County, OH | 8.2 mi |
| Aug 26, 1986 | F2 | 3.0 mi | 0 / 2 | Lorain County, OH | 0.4 mi |
| Jul 31, 1972 | F1 | 2.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Lorain County, OH | 8.9 mi |
| Jul 23, 1972 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Lorain County, OH | 9.9 mi |
| Jul 23, 1972 | F1 | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Lorain County, OH | 9.9 mi |
| Oct 13, 1971 | F1 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 | Lorain County, OH | 10.0 mi |
| Jul 1, 1963 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Lorain County, OH | 4.9 mi |
| Apr 19, 1963 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Lorain County, OH | 9.7 mi |
| Jun 20, 1958 | F1 | 4.5 mi | 0 / 3 | Lorain County, OH | 9.6 mi |
| Jul 20, 1956 | F1 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Lorain County, OH | 2.9 mi |
| Aug 12, 1954 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Erie County, OH | 10.0 mi |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 118.0 mi | 17 / 379 | Henry County, OH | 0.1 mi |
More: Lorain County tornadoes · Ohio tornado history · Lorain 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 Lorain
The National Weather Service mapped the path of 2 tornadoes within 10 miles of Lorain in damage surveys (2 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 | 110 mph | 11.9 mi | 200 yd | 0 / 0 | 19:41–19:56 UTC | NWS Cleveland |
| May 12, 2014 | EF1 | 90 mph | 1.1 mi | – | 0 / 0 | 23:45–23:50 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.