At this point in 2024, Ohio had already tied its all-time tornado record at 62, which was set in 1992. The record-breaker came on June 29, before the first half of that year had concluded, as the Buckeye State sailed to its new yearly tornado record of 74.
Yes, 2024 was the worst year for tornadoes in state history. They killed three people, displaced more than a thousand others, destroyed nearly 175 homes and caused millions of dollars in damages. And that was just from the tornadoes and storms on one day.
How has 2025 compared? Here’s what the data from the National Weather Service shows.
National Weather Service gives Ohio tornado total so far for 2025
According to data provided by the NWS office in Wilmington, which covers Central and Southwest Ohio, the state has had 18 tornadoes through June 9. Breaking those down into EF categories by wind speeds, those include:
When is tornado season in Ohio?
In Ohio, tornado season peaks between April and June, according to the National Weather Service.
Kristen Cassady, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio, said previously that it is typical for severe weather frequency to ramp up in Ohio at the beginning of March. However, March is not a peak tornado season month.
“We typically do see severe weather events including tornadoes in the month of March, even though there is a slightly higher frequency climatologically in April and May,” Cassady said. “March is still one of the primary months for tornadoes in the Ohio Valley.”
How are tornadoes confirmed?
After suspected tornadoes are spotted, crews from the National Weather Service survey possible tornado damage in person.
The pattern of damage, not how much damage was caused, determines whether it was a tornado, according to the weather service. For tornadoes, with their violently rotating columns of air, damage often has a chaotic appearance, with larger uprooted trees often crossing each other. Weather service surveyors often look at larger uproots of trees to get a true idea of where the wind was blowing from.
How are tornadoes rated?
The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
There is also an EF Unknown ranking, “a final caveat that has been added adjacent to the scale in recent years,” the Weather Channel reports. It rates a tornado sighted and documented by storm chasers or the public, but no damage can be found when the area is later surveyed.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How many tornadoes in Ohio so far in 2025? Here’s the National Weather Service total
Reporting by Chad Murphy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
