Storm risk in Lorain County, Ohio

FEMA's overall hazard score for Lorain County is 86.26 (Relatively Moderate), 433rd of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 91.32 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 92.68 (Relatively High) and tornado 90.94 (Relatively High). Expected hail loss is $28 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 29 hail reports in Lorain County from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.

Lorain County: expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings for hail, strong wind and tornado, on a log scale, against all U.S. counties and the counties of OH$0.1$1$10$100$1,000Hail: $28 per $1 million, 1,381st of 3,126 rated counties$28Hail1,381st of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $18 per $1 million, 1,679th of 3,121 rated counties$18Strong wind1,679th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $118 per $1 million, 1,998th of 3,144 rated counties$118Tornado1,998th of 3,144 counties
  • Lorain County, coloured by its FEMA rating
  • all U.S. counties
  • each county in the state
  • U.S. median
  • state median

Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.

How FEMA rates Lorain County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in OH
OverallRelatively Moderate 86.26433 of 3,1449 of 88
HailRelatively Moderate 91.32274 of 3,12611 of 88
Strong windRelatively High 92.68231 of 3,12610 of 88
TornadoRelatively High 90.94286 of 3,1269 of 88

Expected yearly loss, in dollars

HazardThis county, total a yearPer $1M of buildingsState median countyU.S. median countyRank per $1M, U.S.Rank per $1M, state
Hail$2,014,808$28 $35$22 1,381 of 3,12658 of 88
Strong wind$1,279,381$18 $23$20 1,679 of 3,12163 of 88
Tornado$8,391,886$118 $120$199 1,998 of 3,14447 of 88

Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.

What stands out in Lorain County

  • FEMA expects hail in Lorain County to cost $28 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.27 times the U.S. median and 0.81 times the OH county median, ranked 1,381st of 3,126 counties nationally and 58th of 88 in Ohio.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Lorain County to cost $18 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.88 times the U.S. median and 0.79 times the OH county median, ranked 1,679th of 3,121 counties nationally and 63rd of 88 in Ohio.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Lorain County to cost $118 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.59 times the U.S. median and 0.98 times the OH county median, ranked 1,998th of 3,144 counties nationally and 47th of 88 in Ohio.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $207,200 home, the average yearly loss in Lorain County is about $5.86 for hail and $3.72 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $4.63 and $4.22.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Lorain County meets about 21.7 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1972, the median home in Lorain County is 54 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 79.5% of its 135,584 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 19 of the 29 hail reports in Lorain County (66 percent); the quietest month is February, with 0 reports.

What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Lorain County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.

$5.86hail, a year; $4.63 at the U.S. median county rate
$3.72strong wind, a year; $4.22 at the U.S. median county rate
$192hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Lorain County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $2,014,808 ÷ $71,187,084,709 = 0.0000283. Wind: $1,279,381 ÷ $71,187,084,709 = 0.0000180. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.

Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.

Lorain County in plain numbers

  • Lorain County scores 86.26 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Moderate): 433rd of 3,144 rated counties and 9th of 88 in Ohio.
  • Hail scores 91.32 (Relatively Moderate). FEMA expects $2,014,808 of hail damage to buildings in Lorain County a year, which is $28 per $1 million of buildings, 1.27 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 92.68 (Relatively High) with $1,279,381 of expected yearly building loss in Lorain County: $18 per $1 million of buildings, 0.88 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 90.94 (Relatively High) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $8,391,886, counting everything exposed, or $118 per $1 million of buildings in Lorain County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Lorain County averages 3.57 hail events and 1.97 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 29 hail reports in Lorain County between 2014 and June 2026, on 14 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 1.75 inches.
  • In Lorain County, FEMA counts buildings worth 71.19 billion dollars and 312,902 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively Low in Lorain County.
  • Community resilience there is Very High, for 312,902 residents.
  • 1 city in Lorain County is covered on this site: Lorain. 15 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
  • Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Lorain is $6,370 to $14,105.
  • Lorain County ranks 94 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 69 for wind and 145 for tornado.
  • In Lorain County, May is the busiest month with 11 of the 29 reports (38 percent), against 0 reports in November.
  • Lorain County's worst year was 2025, with 3 hail days at 1 inch or more and 3 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 1.08 such days a year, one about every 11.1 months.
  • The median home in Lorain County was built in 1972; 61.5% of its 135,584 housing units date from before 1980, 79.5% from before 2000 and 7.8% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Lorain County at $207,200, and 73.7% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 10,591 single-family building permits were issued in Lorain County from 2014 to 2025, about 78.1 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2024.
  • NOAA lists 9 tornado tracks in Lorain County since 2014; the strongest was an EF1 on August 6, 2024 near Sheffield, 4.91 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Lorain County is 85 mph on November 5, 2017 at La Grange.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Summit County, 32 miles from the centre of Lorain County; its hail score is 99.17.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 28 roofing contractor establishments in Lorain County in 2023, one for every 4,842 homes.

The hail record of Lorain County, year by year

NOAA logged 29 reports in Lorain County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 14 days. That is 1.1 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Lorain County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more0123452014: 5 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch142015: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch152016: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch162017: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch172018: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch182019: 3 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch192020: 3 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.25 inch202021: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch212022: 1 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.88 inch222023: 5 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch232024: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch242025: 3 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch252026: 3 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Lorain County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 3 reports3JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 2 reports2MarApril: 4 reports4AprMay: 11 reports11MayJune: 2 reports2JunJuly: 2 reports2JulAugust: 4 reports4AugSeptember: 0 reports0SepOctober: 1 reports1OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: May, 11 reports.

The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
YearReportsDays, 1 inch or moreDays, 1.75 inch or moreLargest stoneDamage reported
20145101 in–
20151101 in$10,000
20171101 in–
20193101 in–
20203201.25 in–
20212101 in–
20221000.88 in–
20235211.75 in–
20242101 in–
20253301 in–
2026 (to June)3111.75 in–

Biggest hail days in Lorain County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
August 23, 20231.75 in4none recordedElyria
April 15, 20261.75 in3none recordedKipton
April 7, 20201.25 in1none recordedAvon
May 12, 20141 in4none recordedPenfield
January 8, 20191 in3none recordedElyria

Where large hail was reported

FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Lorain County the big stones fell.

Reported hail locations, Lorain County

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail Lorain
  • 201 to 1.74 in
  • 31.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 02.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 1.75 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

23 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.

Sources: NOAA, Census county outline

Wind and tornado records for Lorain County

Fastest gusts in Lorain County

DateGustNear
November 5, 201785 mphLa Grange
June 10, 202685 mphAmherst
June 10, 202685 mphClearview
June 18, 202581 mphLorain Co Regl Arpt

Strongest tornado tracks in Lorain County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
June 18, 2025EF11.28 mi0 / 0Oberlin Arpt
August 6, 2024EF14.91 mi0 / 0Sheffield
April 7, 2020EF12.88 mi0 / 0Belden
July 8, 2014EF11.58 mi0 / 0Belden

9 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 4 are listed.

How old the roofs are

Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Lorain County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 1.08 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Lorain County: share of homes by decade built, with the hail days at 1 inch or more that an original roof from each decade has met at the county's 2014 to 2025 ratepre-1940: 14.7% of homes14.7%<1940991940s: 4.8% of homes4.8%1940s881950s: 14.0% of homes14%1950s771960s: 13.1% of homes13.1%1960s661970s: 14.8% of homes14.8%1970s551980s: 6.7% of homes6.7%1980s441990s: 11.2% of homes11.2%1990s342000s: 12.8% of homes12.8%2000s232010s: 6.6% of homes6.6%2010s122020+: 1.2% of homes1.2%2020+3

Bars: share of 135,584 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.

Median year built1972
Built before 198061.5%
Built before 200079.5%
Built since 20107.8%
Owner-occupied73.7%
Median home value$207,200
Single-family permits, 2014 to 202510,591
Permits per 1,000 homes78.1

Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.

Roofers and past disasters in Lorain County

Roofing firms in Lorain County

Roofing contractor establishments, 202328
Change since 2016+3 (+12%)
Homes per roofing firm4,842
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 2023124

Source for Lorain County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.

Nearby counties

The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Lorain County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Summit County, OH32 Relatively Moderate $1083.80$191.0754
Richland County, OH42 Relatively Low $582.04$261.4241
Stark County, OH51 Relatively Moderate $712.52$8.820.4935
Mahoning County, OH71 Relatively Moderate $411.46$140.7531
Lucas County, OH76 Relatively Moderate $331.18$9.680.5438
Licking County, OH85 Relatively Low $1053.69$191.0745

More Ohio counties, nearest first

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Lorain County

1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 15 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Lorain 44052 (100%), 44112 (0%), 44086 (0%), 44092 (0%) Roofers

Storm hit your roof in Lorain County? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.

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Questions

How high is storm risk in Lorain County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lorain County an overall score of 86.26 (Relatively Moderate), 433rd of 3,144. Hail scores 91.32 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 92.68 (Relatively High) and tornado 90.94 (Relatively High).

In Lorain County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?

A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 29 for Lorain County between 2014 and June 2026, on 14 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 1.75 inches.

What do hail and wind cost a home in Lorain County each year, on average?

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $207,200: FEMA's estimate is about $5.86 a year for hail and $3.72 for wind, before any deductible, against $4.63 and $4.22 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.

How does Lorain County compare with the rest of Ohio?

Per $1 million of buildings Lorain County loses $28 to hail a year, against $35 in the median county of the state. Among 88 rated counties it is 11th for hail, 10th for strong wind and 9th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Lorain County?

The median home was built in 1972, 54 years ago, and 79.5% of the 135,584 housing units in Lorain County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.

What does expected annual loss mean?

It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.

Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?

No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.

Sources for Lorain County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Lorain County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Lorain County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Lorain County. Planning-level information about Lorain County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset 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).