Aurora

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Portage County, the county that contains Aurora.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Portage County, the county that contains Aurora.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Portage County, the county that contains Aurora.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jul 21, 2003Flash Flood$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms dumped heavy rains on Portage County. Rainfall rates at times exceeded two inches per hour. Rainfall totals for the day exceeded four inches in some areas with highest amounts across the central portion of the county. Spotters in Kent measured 4.13 inches of rain by 8:30 p.m. and a total of 4.6 inches of rain fell at the water treatment plant in Kent. Mantua received 4.7 inches of rain by 9:00 p.m. and 3.6 inches of rain fell at Ravenna between 7 and 9 p.m. Extensive lowland and urban flooding occurred as many stream and creeks left their banks. The northern and central portions of the county were the hardest hit by the flooding. Knee deep water was reported over…

2. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Portage$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   High winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ike began during the early evening hours of September 14th and continued through late evening. Peak wind gusts were estimated to be around 60 mph with the strongest winds occurring between 6 and 8 pm. Damage in the county was extensive with thousands of trees and many utility poles downed. Two firefighters were injured while cleaning up downed trees and limbs near Windham. The firefighters both sustained minor injuries after they were struck by a falling limb. Widespread power outages occurred with some customers without power for several days. Homes and buildings were damaged throughout the county. The damage ranged from a few…

3. Jun 8, 2007Hail$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tennis ball size hail was observed. Several large limbs were also reported down. Hundreds of homes and vehicles sustained damage from the hail.

4. Nov 5, 2017Thunderstorm Wind$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm downburst winds in excess of 100 mph caused extensive damage across northern Portage County. A 105 mph wind gust was measured by an automated sensor in Aurora. Damages stretched from the county line west of Aurora across the northern tier of townships to the eastern end of the county. The damage was most concentrated in Aurora and adjacent Mantua Township. Thousands of trees were downed across the county. Many homes lost roofing or siding and several others were damaged by fallen trees. Many vehicles were reported damaged by flying debris or from fallen trees or limbs. Widespread power outages occurred with full restoration taking around five days. Bleachers at an…

5. May 22, 2004Flash Flood$2.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   During the early morning hours of May 22nd, heavy rain producing thunderstorms moved across Portage County for the the third time in less than 24 hours. Rainfall totals of over three inches were reported in the the county with rainfall rates at times approaching two inches per hour. A spotter in Kent measured 3.77 inches of rain between 3 a.m. on May 21st and 3 a.m. on the 22nd. This rain combined with ground already saturated from the earlier storms led to the renewal of widespread flooding in the county. The Kent, Ravenna, Charlestown and Paris Township areas were the worst affected in the county. In Ravenna, 40 people had to be evacuated from a mobile home park after flood…

6. Jul 10, 2013Flash Flood$2.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   High water closed most roads in Shalersville after an estimated 3 to 4 inches of rain fell within one hour. This rainfall was after 16 consecutive days with rain in the region. Subsequently the saturated ground could not absorb the water and widespread flooding resulted. The water came up so quickly that emergency officials had to evacuate homeowners. Several people became stranded in their cars or homes. Hardest hit areas include Wentworth Street in the Bolingbrook neighborhood and Aurora East where water was several feet deep in homes. The flood waters inundated about half of the 350 homes. The waters receded within an hour or two.

7. Jun 14, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A thunderstorm downburst with winds estimated at 85 to 95 mph hit the west side of Kent. The area affected by the downburst was one quarter wide mile and approximately a mile in length. Several hundred trees and 40 power poles were downed. A total of 25 homes were damaged including four that were declared unhabitable. In addition, a camper and over a dozen automobiles were crushed by fallen trees. Widespread power outages occurred and a state of emergency was put in effect because of the widespread and severe damage.

8. Dec 22, 2004Winter Storm, Portage$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A potent winter storm affected northern Ohio on December 22nd and 23rd. Low pressure developed over eastern Texas early on the 22nd and then moved quickly northeast. The low eventually tracked across eastern Ohio during the morning hours of the 23rd after dumping nearly two feet of snow on portions of Ohio. The snow began in northeastern Ohio late on the morning of the 22nd and then intensified during the afternoon. Visibilities during the evening hours were near zero at times. After midnight, warmer air moved into the area and caused the snow to first mix with, and then change completely to freezing rain. Temperatures briefly climbed above freezing around daybreak on the 23rd…

9. Jun 22, 2006Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms dumped torrential rains on Portage County during the late afternoon and early evening hours of June 22nd. Radar estimated that as much as 3 to 5 inches of rain fell across the northern portion of the county. This rain fell on ground already saturated from earlier rains. Flooding was reported in Aurora with dozens of homes in the northern half of the city sustaining damage from flooding. Most of this was basement flooding and no significant structural damage was reported. Significant street flooding also occurred in Streetsboro. Near Ravenna, a stream left it's banks and flooded much a mobile home park near State Route 59. Several residents of the park had to be…

10. Nov 9, 1996Heavy Snow, Portage$1.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Heavy lake effect snow occurred over a seven day period. Total storm accumulations ranged from 6 inches in Elyria (Lorain County) to 69 inches in Chardon (Geauga County). Other significant storm totals were 50 inches in Shaker Heights (Cuyahoga County), 48 inches in Jefferson (Ashtabula County), 28 inches at Kirtland (Lake County), and 15 inches in Mesopotamia (Trumbull County). The storm wreaked havoc on power and telephone lines. Cleveland Electric Illuminating estimated 185,000 customers were without power, some for several days. Dozens of emergency shelters were opened for people who were without electricity. In Wickliffe and Willoughby (Lake County), motels and hotels that…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

102°F2 times, most recently Sep 2, 1953

All-time low

−25°FJan 19, 1994

Warmest night

78°F2 times, most recently Jun 29, 1949

Coldest day

−6°F2 times, most recently Jan 20, 1994

Wettest day

5.53 inSep 14, 1979

Snowiest day

17.0 inNov 9, 1913

Hottest year

1949mean 53.7°F

Coldest year

2014mean 45.5°F

Wettest year

201166.15 in

Driest year

195325.47 in

Snowiest season

112.1 in1962-63

Station Hiram (USC00333780), 1,230 ft elevation, 9.6 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1893 to August 31, 2026; 99.1% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Portage County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00333780.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.