Hermitage
Population 16,308 (2025)
73 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Hermitage since 1950, 5 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on August 6, 2024.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 195073
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger2
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Mercer County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Mercer County.
Strongest tornado
F5
May 31, 1985, 47.0 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm Hugo, 1989, 23.6 miles away
Tornadoes
About one tornado a year since 1950, 5 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
May 31, 1985
F5, 47.0 mile path
450 yards wide; 18 killed along the whole path.
Most recent
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
EFU, 0.0 mile path
2 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Aug 6, 2024 | EFU | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 17, 2024 | EF0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF0 | 1.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 4, 2022 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF1 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 22, 2021 | EF1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 3, 2021 | EF0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 16, 2019 | EF1 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 16, 2019 | EF0 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 16, 2019 | EF1 | 13.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 8, 2019 | EF1 | 2.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 8, 2019 | EF1 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 5, 2017 | EF2 | 6.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 17, 2017 | EF1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 2015 | EF0 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 5.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 10, 2013 | EF1 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 5, 2012 | EF0 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 6, 2010 | EF0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 1, 2007 | EF0 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 21, 2003 | F0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 21, 2003 | F1 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 7.0 | 19 | 1 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F1 | 16.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F0 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 9, 2001 | F2 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 9, 2001 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 9, 1999 | F1 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 9, 1998 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 15, 1995 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 13, 1994 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 15, 1993 | F1 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 21, 1992 | F0 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 8, 1992 | F2 | 1.5 | 11 | 0 |
| Jul 14, 1992 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 13, 1992 | F0 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | F0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 1991 | F0 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 1991 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 6, 1990 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 1990 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 1990 | F0 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 1990 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 1990 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 1990 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 22, 1990 | F0 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 9, 1987 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 27, 1987 | F2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 3, 1986 | F2 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 22, 1985 | F1 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 1985 | F5 | 47.0 | 310 | 18 |
| May 31, 1985 | F4 | 56.2 | 125 | 16 |
| Jul 19, 1983 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 1, 1981 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2, 1980 | F1 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun 18, 1978 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 7, 1978 | F2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 13, 1978 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 24, 1977 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 24, 1977 | F2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 8, 1977 | F0 | 0.1 | 1 | 0 |
| Feb 16, 1976 | F2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2, 1972 | F3 | 7.9 | 3 | 0 |
| Jun 15, 1964 | F2 | 0.1 | 4 | 0 |
| Apr 19, 1963 | F2 | 15.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 5, 1956 | F3 | 0.1 | 0 | 2 |
| Mar 22, 1955 | F1 | 5.1 | 3 | 0 |
| Mar 1, 1955 | F3 | 2.5 | 6 | 1 |
| Sep 30, 1954 | F2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 1, 1954 | F2 | 0.1 | 3 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- 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.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
1 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
September 22, 1989
Hugo, Tropical storm
23.6 miles at closest approach, winds near 43 mph.
Most recent
September 19, 2003
Isabel, Post-tropical
12.0 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
- 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.
Wildfire and smoke
No large wildfire has been mapped within 25 miles since satellite mapping began in 1984.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2023: 56 days
Heavy smoke on 18 days in 2023, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
15.7 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
15 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 26 so far in 2026.
- 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.
Floods and flood insurance
120 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $880,000 paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Mercer County, the county that contains Hermitage.
Most claims in one year
2003: 16 claims
$121,000 paid.
2nd most
2004: 15 claims
$279,000 paid.
3rd most
1980: 7 claims
$7,071 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 16146 | 34 | $359,000 |
| 16125 | 23 | $115,000 |
| 16148 | 20 | $47,000 |
| 16153 | 17 | $103,000 |
| 16127 | 7 | $180,000 |
| 16137 | 7 | $58,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood83
- Flood23
- Heavy Rain3
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 Mercer County, the county that contains Hermitage.
Most severe crest
September 4, 1937
Shenango River at Shenango Dam Tailwater, 9.20 ft
2.40 feet above the 6.8 ft flood stage; minor flooding by today’s categories.
| Sep 4, 1937 | Shenango River at Shenango Dam Tailwater | 9.20 | +2.40 |
River gauges
| Shenango River at Shenango Dam Pool | 917.6 | — | 0 |
| Shenango River at Shenango Dam Tailwater | 6.8 | 9.20 ft | 0 |
- 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.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 90 of 1,581 months since 1895 (6%); the longest spell lasted 16 months.
The drought index is for Mercer County, the county that contains Hermitage.
90
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
32
Months in extreme drought
6%
Share of all months, severe or worse
2
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
July 1934
−5.92, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
16 months
September 1930 to December 1931.
Latest month
September 2026
+0.87, incipient wet spell
Last severe month: June 1999.
- 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.
Earthquakes
3 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 5.2 in 1998.
10
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
3
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
2
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
September 25, 1998
The 1998 Pymatuning, Pennsylvania Earthquake; 18.5 miles away, 3.1 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
March 30, 2024
Magnitude 3.0
2 km SSW of Maple Ridge, Ohio; 39.3 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Dec 31, 2011 | 4.0 | 14.6 |
| Sep 25, 1998 | 5.2 | 18.5 |
| Jan 31, 1986 | 5.0 | 47.2 |
- 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.
- 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.
Severe weather and other events
967 events in the National Weather Service record for Mercer County, 889 of them since 1996.
94
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
4
Hail, 2 inches or larger
423
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
108
Winter weather events since 1996
0
Heat events since 1996
9
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
May 28, 2019
2.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
May 24, 1995
150 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 1 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Nov 10, 2002Tornado$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Starting about 7:54 PM, an F2 tornado touched down near Trout Island Road, east of Sharpsville. The tornado traveled northeast at 50 mph, crossed Route 18, then ripped into Clark. It crossed Shenango River Lake and tracked to New Hamburg, where it dissipated 8:02 PM. The tornado path was 7 miles long, about 500 yards wide at its maximum, in the town of Clark. Maximum winds estimated 155 mph. Majority of damage and all injuries occurred in Clark. Fifteen homes completely destroyed, 13 major damage, 29 had minor damage. One business destroyed; 1 suffered major damage. A large number of trees were snapped or toppled. Large truck was overturned. One van was thrown across Route 258.…
- Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Mercer$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Low pressure from the remains of Hurricane Ike moved across central Ohio to Lake Erie on the evening of September 14th and produced very strong winds into the early morning of September 15th across eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania. Widespread damage to trees and power lines was reported across the region with power outages and damage to some structures from falling trees. Power was not restored to some rural areas for one week after the storm. At the peak of the storm more than 2 million homes were without power. For a period of about 8 hours, sustained winds during the storm were from 30 to 50 MPH, with gusts well over 60 MPH. The highest reported…
- Oct 6, 2024Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
There was a tree reported down along Fullington Road.
- Apr 28, 2002Tornado$750,000
National Weather Service narrative
A storm producing two separate tornadoes moved across Mercer and Venango counties. The first tornado spawned by this storm, an F0, touched down in Mercer County at 1:35 PM EST near the community of Hermitage (approximately 2 miles east of Sharon) and moved to the east-northeast for about 6 miles before dissipating at approximately 1:40 PM EST. The maximum estimated winds were about 70 MPH. Some of the damage observed from this first tornado included a downed fire tower near Hermitage. The windward side of a barn in Jefferson Township was blown apart and the adjacent building exhibited large holes in the metal sides from flying debris. A garage that was under construction also…
- Dec 20, 2004Heavy Snow, Mercer$650,000
National Weather Service narrative
Another round of lake effect snow began in the early morning of the 19th. Farming (Fayette Co) reported 6" of snow by 10 PM on 19th. Sharon had 4 inches by 10 PM on 19th, and 6" by midnight. In Mercer Co, near Hermitage, on Interstate 80, snow covered roads caused an 80-car accident 1130 AM on 19th. 100 people were injured, 3 seriously.
- Aug 16, 2002Flash Flood$250,000
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy thunderstorm rains of over 3 inches in only a few hours resulted in numerous reports of flooding across the downtown Sharon area. Several businesses reported flood damage. A 50-by-60 foot section of the roof of one business collapsed due to the weight of the rain water. Many homes reported flooded basements, while one home had its basement wall collapsed by the rushing waters. Several roadways across the Sharon area were impassible due to flooding.
- Sep 8, 2004Flood, Mercer$200,000
National Weather Service narrative
At 730 PM EDT on 8th, State Rte 258 was closed by flood near Mercer. As of 9 AM on 9th, widespread flooding continued. At Jamestown, 12 families were evacuated as a precaution because of a dam (time unknown); the dam did not fail. Total rain: 4 inches in Mercer. There was a record flood on the Shenango River at Transfer, which crested at 10.65 ft at 11 AM EDT on 9th (previous record 10.47). (FRANCES)
- Apr 28, 2002Tornado$150,000
National Weather Service narrative
A storm producing two separate tornadoes moved across Mercer and Venango counties. The first tornado spawned by this storm, an F0, touched down in Mercer County at 1:35 PM EST near the community of Hermitage (approximately 2 miles east of Sharon) and moved to the east-northeast for about 6 miles before dissipating at approximately 1:40 PM EST. The maximum estimated winds were about 70 MPH. Some of the damage observed from this first tornado included a downed fire tower near Hermitage. The windward side of a barn in Jefferson Township was blown apart and the adjacent building exhibited large holes in the metal sides from flying debris. A garage that was under construction also…
- Nov 15, 2020Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
Numerous reports of wind damage were received from across the county.
- Jul 8, 2014Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
A NWS Storm Survey found damage from a micro-burst along a 1.4 mile long path along U.S. Highway 62 in Jackson Center. The maximum winds were estimated between 80 and 85 MPH, and the width of the damage path was around 50 yards. Damage consisted of numerous soft and hardwood trees snapped or uprooted, with roof damage to several family homes and garages.
- 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.
Weather records
From Youngstown-warren Regional Airport, 12.1 miles from the city centre, with records from 1934.
- All-time high
- 103°FJul 10, 1936
- All-time low
- −22°FJan 19, 1994
- Warmest night
- 81°FAug 17, 1938
- Coldest day
- −6°FJan 19, 1994
- Wettest day
- 4.65 inJul 21, 2003
- Snowiest day
- 17.2 inJan 24, 1948
- Hottest year
- 2024mean 53.4°F
- Coldest year
- 1980mean 46.2°F
- Wettest year
- 201154.01 in
- Driest year
- 196323.79 in
- Snowiest season
- 118.7 in2010-11
Median first snow
November 5
Earliest: October 2, 2003
Median last snow
April 10
Latest: May 16, 1956
0 of 84 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Youngstown-warren Regional Airport (USW00014852), 1,167 ft elevation, 12.1 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1934 to October 27, 2026; 99.9% 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.
Federal disaster declarations
13 since 1953. The most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, March 30, 2020.
Declarations for Mercer County.
| Mar 30, 2020 | Biological | DR-4506-PA |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3441-PA |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | EM-3356-PA |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3235-PA |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Hurricane | DR-1557-PA |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Severe Storm | DR-1555-PA |
| Aug 23, 2003 | Severe Storm | DR-1485-PA |
| Jan 21, 1996 | Flood | DR-1093-PA |
| Mar 16, 1993 | Snowstorm | EM-3105-PA |
| Jun 3, 1985 | Tornado | DR-737-PA |
| Jun 15, 1981 | Flood | DR-641-PA |
| Jan 29, 1977 | Snowstorm | EM-3026-PA |
| Jun 23, 1972 | Flood | DR-340-PA |
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.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- 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 USW00014852.
- 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.