Tornadoes · United States · Ohio

Tornadoes in Lorain County, Ohio

35 tornadoes have crossed Lorain County since 1950, 6th of the 88 counties in Ohio with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 18 people and injured 213. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
35
Deaths
18
Injuries
213
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 11, 1965

The deadliest in Lorain County

  1. F4, Lorain and Cuyahoga counties, OhioApril 11, 196518 killed, 200 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Lorain and Cuyahoga counties, OhioApril 11, 1965F4, 22.0 mi (35 km)
  2. F2, Medina and Lorain counties, OhioJuly 13, 1975F2, 4.1 mi (7 km)
  3. F2, Lorain County, OhioAugust 26, 1986F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  4. F2, Lorain County, OhioJuly 12, 1992F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lorain County. Each year links to every tornado in Ohio that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20242EF1
20232EF0
20221EF0
20201EF1
20142EF1
20071EF0
20032F0
19991F0
19981F0
19971F0
19941F1
199255F2
198612F2
19752F2
19731F0
19723F1
197111F1
197012F1
1965118200F4
19632F1
195813F1
19561F1

Every tornado that crossed Lorain County

35 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 18, 20258:26 PM EDTEF1Huron9.3200$40,000
September 24, 20248:04 PM EDTEF0Lorain0.225$25,000
August 6, 20243:40 PM EDTEF1Lorain11.9200$95,000
August 24, 202312:05 AM EDTEF0Lorain1.1100$40,000
August 24, 202312:00 AM EDTEF0Lorain0.350$50,000
April 25, 20222:22 PM EDTEF0Lorain0.175$20,000
April 7, 202011:25 PM EDTEF1Medina11.4100$80,000
July 8, 20141:33 PM EDTEF1Medina8.3200$78,000
May 12, 20147:45 PM EDTEF0Lorain1.1100$75,000
March 14, 20077:32 PM EDTEF0Lorain2.020$400,000
August 3, 20033:00 PM EDTF0Lorain0.150$10,000
August 3, 20032:45 PM EDTF0Lorain0.150$10,000
July 9, 19996:08 PM EDTF0Lorain0.020$30,000
April 9, 19981:45 PM EDTF0Lorain0.130
August 4, 19978:48 PM EDTF0Lorain0.110
June 28, 19948:47 PM EDTF1Lorain0.550$50,000 to $500,000
July 12, 19928:50 PM EDTF2Lorain2.02003$500,000 to $5 million
July 12, 19928:50 PM EDTF0Lorain1.8702$500,000 to $5 million
July 12, 19928:05 PM EDTF1Lorain2.0200$500,000 to $5 million
June 18, 19928:45 PM EDTF0Lorain0.110
June 18, 19928:45 PM EDTF0Lorain0.110
August 26, 19863:15 PM EDTF2Lorain3.04402$500,000 to $5 million
August 26, 197512:30 PM EDTF0Lorain0.267$500 to $5,000
July 13, 19756:30 PM EDTF2Medina4.150$50,000 to $500,000
August 20, 197311:00 AM EDTF0Lorain0.217$50 to $500
August 1, 19724:13 AM EDTF1Lorain2.0100$50,000 to $500,000
July 23, 19728:45 PM EDTF1Lorain1.5220$5,000 to $50,000
July 23, 19728:45 PM EDTF1Lorain0.110$5,000 to $50,000
October 13, 19718:15 PM EDTF1Lorain0.51001$5,000 to $50,000
September 18, 197011:40 AM EDTF1Lorain0.3872$5,000 to $50,000
April 11, 196511:05 PM GMT-5F4Lorain22.040018200$5 million to $50 million
July 1, 19638:00 PM GMT-4F1Lorain0.110$500 to $5,000
April 19, 19633:30 PM GMT-5F0Lorain0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 20, 19589:00 PM GMT-4F1Lorain4.51003$5,000 to $50,000
July 20, 19567:45 PM GMT-4F1Lorain1.0177$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Lorain CountyThe forecast for Lorain CountyThe live radar over Lorain CountyEvery county in Ohio

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.