Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, May 31, 1985

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, May 31, 1985
Start: 1985-05-31T14:20
End: 1985-05-31T19:55
Location: Ohio

May 31, 1985 · 36 events in 19 counties and zones

16 tornado, 14 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 11
Injuries: 340
Property damage: $838 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 36

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

16 tornado, 14 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Geauga

When: May 31, 2:20 PM CST
Where: Geauga County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 41.470, -81.150

Hail, Ashtabula

When: May 31, 2:45 PM CST
Where: Ashtabula County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.770, -80.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Ashtabula

When: May 31, 2:45 PM CST
Where: Ashtabula County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 41.770, -80.850

Tornado, Ashtabula

When: May 31, 2:59 PM CST
Where: Ashtabula County
Rating: F4
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.830, -80.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Ashtabula

When: May 31, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Ashtabula County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.770, -80.850

Tornado, Trumbull

When: May 31, 3:05 PM CST
Where: Trumbull County
Rating: F3
Path length: 9 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Injuries: 20 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 41.430, -81.000

Tornado, Ashtabula

When: May 31, 3:14 PM CST
Where: Ashtabula County
Rating: F3
Path length: 6 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Injuries: 10 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 41.520, -80.850

Tornado, Trumbull

When: May 31, 3:17 PM CST
Where: Trumbull County
Rating: F4
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 41.480, -80.520

Tornado, Ashtabula

When: May 31, 3:28 PM CST
Where: Ashtabula County
Rating: F2
Path length: 9 mi
Path width: 220 yd
Injuries: 15 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 41.680, -80.720

Hail, Lake

When: May 31, 3:35 PM CST
Where: Lake County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 41.670, -81.330

Hail, Medina

When: May 31, 3:50 PM CST
Where: Medina County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.230, -81.750

Hail, Geauga

When: May 31, 4:05 PM CST
Where: Geauga County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.580, -81.180

Hail, Summit

When: May 31, 4:08 PM CST
Where: Summit County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.250, -81.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Summit

When: May 31, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Summit County
Coordinates: 41.250, -81.430

Hail, Geauga

When: May 31, 4:21 PM CST
Where: Geauga County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.470, -81.070

Tornado, Portage

When: May 31, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Portage County
Rating: F5
Path length: 6.5 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Property damage: $250 million
Coordinates: 41.200, -81.150

Tornado, Trumbull

When: May 31, 4:39 PM CST
Where: Trumbull County
Rating: F5
Path length: 23.5 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Deaths: 10 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 250 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250 million
Coordinates: 41.200, -81.030

Hail, Portage

When: May 31, 4:55 PM CST
Where: Portage County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 41.170, -81.070

Hail, Mahoning

When: May 31, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Mahoning County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 41.070, -80.650

Tornado, Madison

When: May 31, 5:06 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 39.880, -83.470

Tornado, Trumbull

When: May 31, 5:11 PM CST
Where: Trumbull County
Rating: F5
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Property damage: $250 million
Coordinates: 41.170, -80.570

Tornado, Licking

When: May 31, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Licking County
Rating: F3
Path length: 27 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 20 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 40.170, -82.720

Hail, Mahoning

When: May 31, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Mahoning County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 41.070, -80.770

Tornado, Columbiana

When: May 31, 5:35 PM CST
Where: Columbiana County
Rating: F2
Path length: 15 mi
Path width: 220 yd
Injuries: 20 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 40.880, -80.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Fayette

When: May 31, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Fayette County
Coordinates: 39.550, -83.470

Tornado, Coshocton

When: May 31, 5:43 PM CST
Where: Coshocton County
Rating: F3
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 40.230, -82.180

Tornado, Muskingum

When: May 31, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Muskingum County
Rating: F1
Path length: 6.5 mi
Path width: 77 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 40.120, -82.130

Hail, Stark

When: May 31, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Stark County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 40.970, -81.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Stark

When: May 31, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Stark County
Coordinates: 40.970, -81.330

Tornado, Coshocton

When: May 31, 6:02 PM CST
Where: Coshocton County
Rating: F1
Path length: 4.5 mi
Path width: 77 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 40.150, -82.020

Hail, Muskingum

When: May 31, 6:07 PM CST
Where: Muskingum County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 39.970, -81.950

Tornado, Stark

When: May 31, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Stark County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 40.670, -81.370

Hail, Tuscarawas

When: May 31, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Tuscarawas County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 40.520, -81.470

Tornado, Adams

When: May 31, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Adams County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 77 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 38.800, -83.400

Hail, Belmont

When: May 31, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Belmont County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 40.080, -80.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When: May 31, 7:55 PM CST
Where: Morgan County
Coordinates: 39.600, -81.850

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Licking	1985-05-31				Direct

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Ohio in 1985 Every state in 1985 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Ohio, 1985

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10098083, 10098084, 10098085, 10098086, 10098087, 10098088, 10098089, 10098090, 10098091, 10098092, 10098093, 10098094, 10098095, 10098096, 10098097, 10098098, 10098099, 10098100, 10098101, 10098102, 10098103, 10098104, 10098105, 10098106, 10098107, 10098108, 10098109, 10098110, 10098111, 10098112, 10098113, 10098114, 10098115, 10098116, 10098117, 10098118.