Akron, OH Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Akron is about the same as Ohio average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Akron is about the same as Ohio average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #714
| Akron, OH | 0.05 |
| Ohio | 0.16 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Akron, OH | 0.0000 |
| Ohio | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #743
| Akron, OH | 157.28 |
| Ohio | 156.02 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 5,548 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Akron, OH were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 1 | Cold: | 10 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 12 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 655 | Hail: | 1,505 | Heat: | 8 | Heavy Snow: | 63 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 18 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 114 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 2,930 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 68 | Winter Weather: | 11 |
| Other: | 153 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Akron, OH.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Akron, OH.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Akron, OH.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 55 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Akron, OH.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 1.1 | 1963-04-19 | 2 | 41°05'N / 81°30'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Summit | |||
| 5.8 | 1992-07-12 | 3 | 41°08'N / 81°29'W | 41°10'N / 81°26'W | 8.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Summit |
| 10.5 | 1973-06-03 | 3 | 41°12'N / 81°26'W | 41°11'N / 81°20'W | 4.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Summit |
| 11.7 | 1977-06-30 | 2 | 40°55'N / 81°28'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Stark | |
| 15.7 | 2002-04-28 | 2 | 40°51'N / 81°31'W | 40°52'N / 81°24'W | 7.20 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 2 | 45.5M | 0 | Stark |
| Brief Description: A strong F2 tornado touched down at 158 pm edt and caused major damage and two minor injuries along a path of just over seven miles. Major damage occurred along the path which was nearly a quarter mile in width at times. The initial touchdown occurred west of the intersection of Arlington Avenue and Windy Lane Street NW near Crystal Springs. From this location, the tornado moved east northeast through residential neighborhoods in Jackson Township. The tornado passed to the north of Lake Cable, crossed Interstate 77 near Portage Street and finally dissipated near a shopping district along State Route 297 in North Canton. The damage path was intermittent along part of its length. Over 300 homes were damaged along the damage path with 25 structures destroyed. An additional 38 buildings including three businesses were partially destroyed with 50 more structures sustaining significant roof damage. Another 197 homes and businesses suffered minor damage. A middle school building suffered extensive damage and was closed for nearly a week for repairs. A nearby high school was also damaged. Approximately 1000 trees were downed by the tornado and over 300 vehicles damaged. | |||||||||||
| 15.8 | 1973-06-03 | 3 | 41°11'N / 81°20'W | 41°11'N / 81°10'W | 8.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Portage |
| 16.0 | 1992-07-12 | 2 | 41°03'N / 81°13'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Portage | |
| 16.6 | 2002-11-10 | 2 | 41°19'N / 81°30'W | 41°19'N / 81°26'W | 3.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 10.2M | 0 | Summit |
| Brief Description: A small F0/F1 tornado touched down in Macedonia near the intersection of Valley View Drive (SR 631) and Aurora Road and moved northeast. The tornado gradually strengthened and reached F2 intensity as it crossed State Route 14 and moved into Twinsburg. After a track of just over three miles the tornado weakened to F1 intensity and crossed into Cuyahoga County south of Glenwillow. Extensive damage was done in Macedonia and Twinsburg. In Macedonia, 60 homes were damaged including two that were destroyed and 15 others were damaged enough to be declared uninhabitable. The most severe damage in the county occurred in the Glenwood Preserve neighborhood on the north side of Twinsburg. Extensive damage was done on Andover Drive and Deeplake Circle where several homes were leveled and a total of 45 homes damaged. Damage estimates in Twinsburg alone were well over $5 million. The damage path was continuous and about 100 yards in width. Dozens of cars were damaged or destroyed and hundreds of trees and power poles downed in Summit County. | |||||||||||
| 18.6 | 1983-05-02 | 3 | 41°20'N / 81°39'W | 41°22'N / 81°26'W | 12.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 25 | 25.0M | 0 | Cuyahoga |
| 21.5 | 1968-05-15 | 2 | 40°48'N / 81°42'W | 1.00 Mile | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Wayne | |
| 23.3 | 1973-05-10 | 2 | 40°57'N / 82°08'W | 40°57'N / 81°44'W | 20.70 Miles | 667 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Wayne |
| 23.6 | 1992-07-12 | 3 | 41°14'N / 82°00'W | 41°13'N / 81°52'W | 7.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Medina |
| 23.8 | 1985-05-31 | 5 | 41°12'N / 81°09'W | 41°12'N / 81°02'W | 6.50 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250.0M | 0 | Portage |
| 24.6 | 1975-07-13 | 2 | 41°10'N / 82°01'W | 41°12'N / 81°56'W | 4.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lorain |
| 25.0 | 1965-11-16 | 2 | 40°48'N / 81°15'W | 40°50'N / 81°08'W | 5.90 Miles | 300 Yards | 2 | 9 | 2.5M | 0 | Stark |
| 25.5 | 1966-09-29 | 3 | 41°27'N / 81°33'W | 41°27'N / 81°27'W | 4.50 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 20 | 2.5M | 0 | Cuyahoga |
| 25.8 | 2001-05-21 | 2 | 41°06'N / 82°01'W | 41°06'N / 82°01'W | 7.50 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 0 | Medina |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down along New London Eastern Road near Pawnee in southwestern Chatham Township. The tornado then traveled northeast for approximately 7.5 miles before dissipating along State Route 83 about three miles north of Chatham. The damage path was intermittent and approximately 250 feet in width. A new home was completely destroyed near the location of the initial touchdown. A truck nearby was thrown 500 feet by the tornado. A church and parsonage were damaged along Old Mill Road. The tornado then struck an alpaca farm along State Route 83 north of Chatham and destroyed three barns and damaged several other outbuildings. Several garages and a home were damaged elsewhere along the damage path. Over three hundred trees were knocked down and two cars destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 26.2 | 1965-04-11 | 4 | 41°18'N / 82°00'W | 41°20'N / 81°50'W | 8.60 Miles | 400 Yards | 1 | 100 | 25.0M | 0 | Cuyahoga |
| 26.4 | 1962-08-20 | 2 | 41°24'N / 81°48'W | 0.50 Mile | 500 Yards | 4 | 20 | 2.5M | 0 | Cuyahoga | |
| 26.7 | 2010-09-16 | 2 | 40°46'N / 81°57'W | 40°48'N / 81°45'W | 11.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 35.0M | 0K | Wayne |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado touched down in Wayne County two miles southwest of downtown Wooster around 5:26 pm. This tornado strengthened to EF2 intensity and continued on the ground for over 11 miles before finally lifting two miles west of Dalton. Extensive damage occurred along the damage path with dozens of homes and buildings damaged. After the initial touchdown, the tornado quickly intensified to an EF2 as it continued on the ground to the east northeast. The tornado crossed Prairie Lane and Timken Road and then moved across St. Mary's Cemetery. Damage at the cemetery was extensive with 80 of 81 large trees knocked down and over two hundred gravestones broken or toppled. From the cemetery, the tornado crossed Madison Avenue and moved across the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). Significant damage occurred on the OADRC campus with several buildings severely damaged. A laboratory in one the buildings was destroyed. Two historic homes on the property sustained significant roof damage and several greenhouses were destroyed. Two barns and a machine shop were also leveled. The 102 year old Secrest Arboretum on the campus lost over 800 trees and many research projects were damaged or destroyed. The tornado tossed and destroyed several vehicles and a lot of farm machinery was also damaged or destroyed. From the OARDC campus, the tornado continued east along Secrest Road damaging or destroying several homes and buildings. The tornado weakened to EF1 intensity as it crossed Sylvan Road and to an EF0 as it crossed Barnard Road. The tornado then remained either an EF0 or EF1 until it lifted near the intersection of Kidron Road and Old Lincoln Way just west of Dalton. A total of nine homes were either destroyed or sustained major damage. Another 90 homes sustained lesser amounts of damage. In addition, at least 50 barns, garages and other outbuildings were damaged of destroyed. Thousands of trees were also toppled along the damage path which was up to 150 yards in width. Twenty eight utility poles were knocked down in Wooster alone and high tension transmission lines were also torn down by the tornado. The downed transmission lines affected four substations and resulted in around a third of Wayne County loosing power right after the tornado. The OARDC campus was closed for over a week and two local school districts had to close on September 17th because of the power outages. Only one very minor injury was reported. EPISODE NARRATIVE: During the late morning hours on September 16th, a warm front lifted northward through Ohio allowing for a significant destabilization of the atmosphere. By early afternoon, a severe thunderstorm watch was issued for most of northern Ohio. Severe thunderstorms swept across Ohio ahead of a cold front beginning in the mid afternoon and lasting well into the evening. Two devastating tornadoes occurred in northern Ohio. An EF2 tornado touched down in Wayne County near Wooster. This tornado left an eleven and a half mile long damage path and damaged over a hundred homes and buildings. A second tornado touched down in southern Holmes County. This tornado was rated an EF1 and was on the ground for about three miles. | |||||||||||
| 27.7 | 1957-05-14 | 2 | 40°48'N / 81°54'W | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Wayne | |||
| 27.9 | 1970-07-15 | 2 | 41°24'N / 81°51'W | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Cuyahoga | |||
| 28.5 | 2002-11-10 | 2 | 40°58'N / 82°06'W | 40°59'N / 82°00'W | 5.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1K | 0 | Wayne |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down about four miles south of West Salem just east of State Route 301 along Pleasant Home Road. The tornado then traveled northeast for approximately five miles before dissipating two and one half miles southwest of Burbank near the intersection of Britton and Franchester Roads. Extensive damage was done along the damage path which was mostly around 50 yards in width but up to several hundred feet wide along Palmer Road. A home on Pleasant Home Road was heavily damaged as were three other homes on Easton Road to the west of Wohlganuth Road. Two more homes were severely damaged on Wohlganuth Road. A home and six outbuildings were destroyed as the tornado crossed Palmer Road about a mile east of State Route 539 (Wohlganuth Road). A second home was leveled on Ruff Road just to the west of Stratton Road. Finally, a home was heavily damaged near where the tornado dissipated. Several other homes and buildings sustained minor damage. Many vehicles were also damaged. At least 20 power poles were snapped and several hundred trees downed along the damage path. | |||||||||||
| 28.8 | 1951-06-22 | 2 | 41°25'N / 81°51'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Cuyahoga | |
| 28.9 | 2003-11-12 | 2 | 40°48'N / 81°56'W | 40°48'N / 81°56'W | 12.00 Miles | 125 Yards | 0 | 3 | 21.0M | 0 | Wayne |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down southwest of Wooster near the intersection of U.S. Route 250 and Old Lincoln Highway (County Road 30A). Several businesses were heavily damaged near the site of the initial touchdown. The tornado then crossed State Route 302 and moved over open farmland and into a business park on the southwest side of Wooster. Several more business were damaged in this area. The tornado continued east through residential neighborhoods just north of downtown Wooster. The tornado exited the city near the intersection of State Routes 3/83 and 585. A factory near this location was heavily damaged. The tornado continued east into Green Township and strengthened to F2 intensity at it crossed Geyers Road. Two more businesses were heavily damaged in this area. The tornado weakened to F1 intensity just after severely damaging a home on Canal Road near Eby Road. The tornado continued across open farmland for another four miles before finally lifting just southwest of Orrville near the intersection of Back Orrville Road and North Crown Hill Road. The damage path was around 12 miles in length and up to 125 yards in width. Around 15 businesses and over 100 homes were damaged by this tornado. Ten semi trailers were overturned at one factory and over 30 cars heavily damaged at an automobile dealership. Many other automobiles were damaged along the damage path. In addition, hundreds of trees and dozens of power poles were downed. | |||||||||||
| 29.0 | 1976-07-31 | 2 | 40°44'N / 81°50'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Wayne | |||
| 29.2 | 1959-10-06 | 2 | 41°21'N / 81°13'W | 41°24'N / 81°01'W | 10.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Geauga |
| 29.5 | 1953-06-08 | 4 | 41°22'N / 81°58'W | 41°30'N / 81°43'W | 15.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 6 | 300 | 0K | 0 | Cuyahoga |
| 29.9 | 1954-09-30 | 2 | 40°45'N / 81°09'W | 1 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Carroll | |||
| 32.0 | 2002-11-10 | 2 | 41°02'N / 82°08'W | 41°02'N / 82°08'W | 4.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 750K | 0 | Medina |
| Brief Description: A tornado moved into the county from Ashland County just to the east of Firestone Road. The tornado then traveled northeast through Homerville and finally dissipated about a mile and a half northeast of the town. The first significant damage in the county occurred along Williams Road where a newer two story home lost it's roof and most of the second floor. Several other homes and buildings in this area sustained minor damage. In Homerville, an auto repair shop was destroyed and several homes sustained moderate to minor damage. A barn was destroyed just southwest of town. Many cars were damaged and dozens of trees downed. The tornado was on the ground in Medina County for approximately four miles and had a damage path no more than 50 yards in width. | |||||||||||
| 32.7 | 1992-07-12 | 2 | 41°14'N / 82°07'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Lorain | |
| 33.9 | 1965-04-11 | 4 | 41°14'N / 82°15'W | 41°18'N / 82°00'W | 13.40 Miles | 400 Yards | 17 | 100 | 25.0M | 0 | Lorain |
| 34.0 | 2006-06-22 | 2 | 40°37'N / 81°47'W | 40°37'N / 81°42'W | 6.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 750K | 0 | Holmes |
| Brief Description: During the late afternoon hours of June 22nd, a severe thunderstorm moved across eastern Holmes County and produced a tornado. This tornado touched down at 5:30 pm just west of Mt Hope and tracked east through Winesburg and then exited the county. The tornado had a damage path in Holmes County roughly six miles in length and 50 to 100 yards in width. The majority of the damage was classified as F1, but there were several areas of F2 damage evident. Along the path, numerous structures were damaged and hundreds of trees toppled or snapped. A barn was heavily damaged near where the tornado first touched down. Two houses nearby sustained siding and roof damage. A home on State Route 241 just outside of Mt. Hope was destroyed and several buildings at a factory in Mt. Hope sustained major damage. Metal roofs were torn off of these factory buildings with debris found as far as a mile away. Wooden beams from the buildings were thrown and pierced metal garage doors. Empty box trailers were overturned and one box trailer was even torn from its frame. The tornado continued east from Mt Hope and damaged several more homes on it's way to Winesburg. One house had it's second floor torn off. A second factory near Winesburg lost large sections of roof. In Winesburg, a few homes sustained roof damage. The tornado continued into Tuscarawas County and caused damage there. Later, the same parent thunderstorm produced another tornado west of Waynesburg in southeastern Stark County. | |||||||||||
| 35.8 | 1976-02-16 | 2 | 41°04'N / 80°50'W | 1.50 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mahoning | |
| 37.3 | 2002-11-10 | 2 | 40°57'N / 82°13'W | 40°57'N / 82°13'W | 5.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.6M | 0 | Ashland |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down two miles southwest of Polk near the intersection of County Road 601 and Township Road 902. A new home at this location was destroyed. The tornado then traveled northeast across the western and northern portions of Polk. Two homes on the west side of Polk were heavily damaged and a small barn was leveled just north of town. Another 10 to 12 buildings, including two public buildings sustained minor damage in Polk. From Polk, the tornado traveled northeast across rural areas and passed just to the west of Albion. Two homes along County Road 620 just west of Township Road 521 lost entire roofs and had exterior walls partially or entirely knocked down. A nearby barn was leveled with debris thrown as much as one half mile. A small boat tethered in a pond near the barn was found a quarter mile away and the pond itself was filled with debris. A church in the area had it's steeple toppled. The tornado continued northeast and damaged several more homes and buildings. The tornado moved into Medina County just east of County Road 175. In the county, a total of five homes were either completely destroyed or declared unlivable with another 11 homes sustaining enough damage to require significant repairs. Approximately 30 additional homes and buildings suffered minor damage. A few dozen cars sustained varying amounts of damage. The tornado was on the ground in Ashland County for approximately five and a half miles with the damage path no more than 50 yards in width. | |||||||||||
| 37.9 | 1978-10-12 | 3 | 40°48'N / 80°55'W | 40°53'N / 80°49'W | 7.30 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Columbiana |
| 38.2 | 1985-05-31 | 5 | 41°12'N / 81°02'W | 41°10'N / 80°34'W | 23.50 Miles | 440 Yards | 10 | 250 | 250.0M | 0 | Trumbull |
| 38.4 | 1955-03-11 | 2 | 40°53'N / 80°50'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Columbiana | |
| 40.0 | 1953-06-08 | 4 | 41°28'N / 82°20'W | 41°22'N / 81°58'W | 20.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 47 | 0K | 0 | Lorain |
| 40.9 | 1978-06-07 | 2 | 41°09'N / 80°46'W | 41°10'N / 80°43'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Trumbull | ||
| 41.2 | 1985-05-31 | 3 | 41°26'N / 81°00'W | 41°31'N / 80°51'W | 9.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 20 | 2.5M | 0 | Trumbull |
| 41.4 | 1986-08-26 | 2 | 41°24'N / 82°11'W | 41°27'N / 82°10'W | 3.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Lorain |
| 41.9 | 2003-11-12 | 2 | 40°27'N / 81°31'W | 40°30'N / 81°27'W | 3.50 Miles | 175 Yards | 0 | 1 | 160K | 0 | Tuscarawas |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado touched down near May Rd just off Route 52 southwest of New Philadelphia. It moved east northeast at 45 mph, damaging several homes along Crooked Run Rd. Several homes had significant damage with roofs taken completely off; some walls were toppled. Several garages and barns suffered significant damage. Few garages completely destroyed. A least one mobile home was knocked off its foundation.Many trees and power lines were downed. Tornado went across Interstate 77 and into New Philadelphia, where 12 homes had scattered damage. Crooked Run Rd had the most significant damage. Path length 3.5 miles; path width 175 yards; maximum winds estimated 120 mph. | |||||||||||
| 41.9 | 1973-05-10 | 2 | 41°02'N / 82°30'W | 40°57'N / 82°08'W | 19.70 Miles | 667 Yards | 0 | 6 | 250K | 0 | Ashland |
| 42.0 | 1963-04-19 | 2 | 41°02'N / 80°52'W | 41°02'N / 80°34'W | 15.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mahoning |
| 43.2 | 1973-05-10 | 2 | 40°34'N / 82°01'W | 40°32'N / 81°54'W | 6.20 Miles | 17 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Holmes |
| 43.4 | 1956-08-05 | 3 | 41°09'N / 80°42'W | 41°08'N / 80°41'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Trumbull | ||
| 43.7 | 1992-07-12 | 2 | 41°11'N / 82°21'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Huron | |
| 44.1 | 1956-08-05 | 3 | 41°08'N / 80°41'W | 41°07'N / 80°40'W | 2 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mahoning | ||
| 44.7 | 1985-05-31 | 2 | 40°53'N / 80°51'W | 40°50'N / 80°35'W | 15.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 20 | 25.0M | 0 | Columbiana |
| 45.4 | 1987-06-27 | 2 | 41°04'N / 80°39'W | 1.50 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mahoning | |
| 46.2 | 1955-03-01 | 3 | 41°16'N / 80°40'W | 2.50 Miles | 40 Yards | 1 | 6 | 250K | 0 | Mahoning | |
| 47.6 | 1981-06-08 | 2 | 40°27'N / 81°55'W | 40°27'N / 81°52'W | 2.30 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Holmes |
| 49.1 | 1985-05-31 | 3 | 41°31'N / 80°51'W | 41°33'N / 80°44'W | 6.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Ashtabula |
| 49.7 | 1985-06-22 | 2 | 41°41'N / 81°03'W | 41°43'N / 81°01'W | 2.40 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Geauga |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.