Heat and humidity are building up and will be fueling strong storms Thursday afternoon.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for the following counties until 11: 30 p.m.:
- Cuyahoga County
- Lake County
- Geauga County
- Columbiana County
- Carroll County
- Medina County
- Stark County
- Portage County
- Summit County
- Tuscarawas County
A tornado was confirmed in Huron County and was about half a mile wide.
Tornado Warnings were issued for Ashland, Medina and Wayne Counties; however, they expired at 9:30 p.m.
A Tornado Watch was issued for most Northeast Ohio Counties, and most of them expired between 9:30 p.m. and 10:50 p.m.
News 5 Meteorologist Mark Johnson gave live updates on Thursday's severe weather:
See the latest severe weather alerts in our area here.
News 5's Katie McGraw and Mark Johnson gave a live update on Facebook at about 3:40 p.m. as storms were beginning to move in - watch that below:
PHOTOS AND VIDEO:
SEVERE RISK: The best chance for storms to become severe or strong is in our southern and western communities, with a lower threat east of I-77 and Cleveland. Note: The Storm Prediction Center has issued a marginal risk for severe storms. It includes much of our viewing area. A marginal risk is a level one out of five which means isolated strong or severe storms will be possible, but there is usually limited organization to the storms, they do not typically last long, and coverage is low. SPC uses dark green to show the marginal risk of severe weather. A small section of our viewing area has a level 2 out of 5. This is known as a slight risk for severe weather and is the yellow area. There is a much greater risk for severe storms on Thursday to our south and west. Southern Ohio has a much better chance of severe storms compared to Northern Ohio.
MAIN THREATS: If storms become strong or severe, the main threat looks to be large hail and strong winds around 50 to 60 mph. Isolated tornadoes cannot be ruled out either. Every storm, regardless of strength, contains lightning and that is dangerous in itself. When thunder roars, get indoors. Thunder is a response to lightning in the area. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to get struck by lightning.
Be aware! The Power of 5 Weather Team will be keeping you updated on-air and online all evening. Stay safe.
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Click here to view our interactive radar.
Read and watch the latest Power of 5 forecast here.
Follow the News 5 Weather Team:
Mark Johnson: Facebook & Twitter
Trent Magill: Facebook & Twitter
