CLEVELAND — On Feb. 18, 1992, a strong EF-4 tornado touched down in Western Ohio just south of the city of Van Wert. It was on the ground for 2.8 miles packing wind speeds of 175 mph. Luckily it impacted a sparsely populated area. Still, six injuries were reported. This was the strongest tornado in the United States that year and occurred in Ohio in February.
My points here are these: Big tornadoes do occur in Ohio, and they can strike any month of the year, any time of day or night.
Ohio is a couple of states away from the Tornado Hotbeds of the Central and Southern Plains. Still, we average about 19 tornadoes per year across the state.
Most of our tornadoes occur during May, June and July. But we often have a short secondary tornado season in the Fall during late October and early November. We've had a few notable Fall tornado outbreaks, such as Nov. 10, 2001; Nov. 10-11, 2002; and October 2021.
Most of the tornadoes we see here in Northern Ohio are the smaller, weaker kind. EF-0 tornadoes with winds of nearly 90 mph and EF-1 tornadoes with wind speeds of up to 110 mph are the most commonly reported twisters. They often occur embedded in squall lines and touch down for only a few minutes at a time, making them a challenge to detect on radar. We see EF-2 tornadoes every few years here. The last EF-4 tornado to touch down in our area was the devastating Jun. 5, 2010, Wood/Ottawa County Twister. Seven people died that evening as the tornado slowly churned through the area just south of Toledo.
The strongest tornadoes are designated EF-5 with wind speeds above 300 mph. Damage from an EF-5 is utterly catastrophic! The last EF-5 tornado to touch down in Northern Ohio was May 31, 1985. That tornado reached the ground in the Ravenna Arsenal and churned east, destroying parts of Niles and Newton Falls. Nine people lost their lives that day in Niles alone.
The best way to stay safe is to be prepared. As always, stick with the Power of 5 Weather Team for severe weather coverage. We will always get you through the storm.
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