Vrydaghs: Winter tornadoes in Ohio rare, but do happen

Over the weekend the Miami Valley was hit with severe weather, from high winds to tornadoes. Two twisters were confirmed in Miami County from Saturday night’s storms. Each was weak but destructive.

The first of the two developed at 10:11 p.m. just southwest of downtown Troy, and it stayed on the ground for a little more than 3 miles with maximum sustained winds up to 80 mph. According to the National Weather Service, most of the damage was confined to trees and roofs of both residential and commercial buildings as it passed through the city. The greatest damage was surveyed in areas near Troy High School and along the east of North Market Street.

The second tornado began 4 miles southwest of the village of Fletcher at 10:15 p.m. This twister stayed on the ground for more than double the time with an estimated path length of 6.5 miles. Maximum sustained winds were determined to be up to 75 mph. This tornado traveled through a more rural area, so most of the damage consisted of broken and snapped trees, roof damage to barns and outbuildings.

Since Saturday, many have asked me the question, “How rare is it to have a tornado in January?” Well, it’s pretty rare, but not the first time Ohio has seen a tornado this early in the year.

According to the National Weather Service records, January 3, 1950, is the earliest for a tornado to hit Ohio in a given year. Based on data starting in 1950, that tornado occurred in Van Wert County.

I did a little more digging to see if there were more January tornadoes in our history or during the winter months, December, January or February.

Back in 2008 on January 29 around 9 p.m. a twister skipped and jumped along a two-mile path, south of downtown Lewisburg in Preble County. Most of the damage included barn damage and tree damage, but there was part of a roof blown off of a home in the storm path.

Then in 2014 on February 20, an EF0 tornado occurred near Phillipsburg, Ohio in the late evening hours around 10:53 p.m. Winds up to 85 mph were estimated and the tornado stayed on the ground for roughly two miles. Portions of a residential roof and the majority of a barn were damaged by the storm.

Two days before Christmas on December 23, 2015, an EF0 tornado developed just east of the Darke County village of Arcanum. This was an extremely brief tornado that only stayed on the ground for 50 yards, but in that time it managed to lift up a portion of the roof to a large metal building. Part of that roof landed on a nearby car scattering debris around the property.

Most recently, just last year on February 7, 2019, an EF0 twister formed northwest of Selma in Clark County and traveled 7.5 miles before dissipating. Property, barn and tree damage were all reported along the path.

These are just a few of the tornadoes I chose to highlight for Southwest Ohio. While not all of them, it was clear tornadoes in the winter are not a yearly occurrence, but they can happen whenever the conditions are favorable, no matter the season.

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