Ohio Environment & Hazard Risk

The tornado initially touched down just west of Brookville and areas on the south side of Brookville sustained heavy damage, consistent with high-end EF2 wind speeds. Numerous homes suffered significant roof damage and removal, including exterior wall collapse and complete garage destruction. ||The tornado then carved a path east through Trotwood where damage consistent with EF2 wind speeds was widespread and some homes sustained damage consistent with EF3 wind speeds. Structures here again featured roof removal and exterior wall collapse. This was particularly true on the south side of Westbrook Road. A large number of homes and apartment complexes were impacted further east in Trotwood, with most of this damage consistent with high-end EF2 wind speeds.||The highest winds were estimated to have occurred in a corridor from eastern Trotwood (between Shiloh Springs Road and Westbrook Road), then southeast between Shiloh Springs Road and Turner Road, into areas along the Stillwater River/Riverside Drive area. Embedded within this zone was higher-end EF3 damage. Areas near Riverside Drive and the Stillwater River exhibited damage consistent with wind speeds of 170 mph, or lower-end...

An Arctic cold front swept through the area shortly before midnight December 23rd. Low pressure along this front tracked over Lake Erie early in the morning on December 23rd and rapidly intensified through the day while slowly lifting northeast across Ontario. With the frontal passage rain changed to snow with temperatures dropping from the upper 30s and lower 40s to sub-zero in about 8 hours. A period of light to moderate snow occurred behind the front into the morning hours of December 23rd before becoming much lighter by midday. The period of snow and rapidly falling temperatures led to a flash freeze and icy conditions on area roadways. While the falling snow became lighter through the daytime hours of December 23rd, winds began increasing during the pre-dawn hours and gusted over 50 MPH through the day. A peak wind gust of 58 MPH was measured at 1:55 PM December 23rd at the Sandusky County Regional Airport. Scattered tree damage and power outages resulted. Wind gusts very gradually subsided into December 24th, though gusts didn���t drop below 30 MPH until that evening. This led to a prolonged period of widespread blowing and drifting snow beginning early in the morning...

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Office determined that seven people in Cuyahoga County died from exposure during the first half of February due to the combination of cold weather and inadequate housing with proper heating. Temperatures during the first half of February were largely below freezing with many nights with lows in the single digits and wind chills below zero.

The tornado began in Auglaize County at 1829EST, 3 miles north of Botkins and moved east-southeast, entering Logan County at 1843EST, just north of Santa Fe. Areas of signifincant tree damage occurred along the path of the tornado across northwest Logan County. ||The tornado strengthened as it approached the village of Lakeview, producing severe damage over much of the Lakeview area, beginning along Pine Street and Poplar Court. On Poplar Court, one single family residence was destroyed, with all walls collapsed. A corridor of severe damage continued directly southeast across Main Street, where wall collapse was noted along one business building and another well built construction was destroyed. Another single family home on North Oak Street, just to the east of U.S. Route 33 and west of Indian Lake, also had all walls collapsed from the tornado. The most significant damage occurred along this stretch of Lakeview, with maximum winds estimated to be up to 155 mph, or EF-3. The width of the tornado was a half mile at this point. Three fatalities and 25 injuries occurred in the Lakeview area. ||Damage, primarily of EF-2 magnitude, continued southeast of Lakeview, affecting areas...

The tornado first touched down in Riverside in far eastern Montgomery County at 2212EST before quickly moving into western Greene County at 2213EST. The tornado continued to move east across western and central Greene County before lifting along U.S. 68, about 5 miles north of Xenia.||There were two locations along the track of this tornado in the Beavercreek area where damage was indicative of EF3 intensity. The first was in the vicinity of I-675 and Grange Hall Road. Several homes along Rushton Drive had entire roofs lifted, as well as the collapse of several exterior walls with only interior walls left standing. Additional homes along Gardenview and Wendover Drives experienced high-end EF2 damage with windows shattered, garage doors collapsed and entire roof structures removed.||Additional EF3 damage occurred in Beavercreek near Anna Laura Lane. In this area, some buildings of an apartment complex had large sections of roofs removed and exterior walls on upper levels collapsed, leaving just interior walls standing. ||Most of the damage from near Grange Hall road eastward to businesses near North Fairfield Road was EF2 to EF1 type damage, where some concrete block businesses...

The tornado appeared to have first touched down west of Celina, near the intersection of Township Line Road and Bunker Hill Road, where about half of a barn's metal roof was removed and strewn in a narrow path to the east-northeast. At least two other barns also lost nearly half of their metal roofing in the vicinity of Bunker Hill Road. Numerous trees in this area, with trunk diameters of 18 to 24 inches, were also snapped and blown down in various directions. This type of damage was consistent with wind speeds of up to 90 mph and associated with an EF1 tornado. ||The next damage occurred to homes and adjacent outbuildings along Mud Pike Road, immediately southeast of the intersection with State Route 118. Two homes retained their main roof structure but many shingles were removed. Two outbuildings and a larger barn were destroyed, likely resulting from EF1 tornado winds of 100 to 110 mph. Additional damage occurred along Hellwarth Road, just south of the intersection with Fairground Road. Several homes and outbuildings were damaged, with the most serious being a home that lost much of its roof and some exterior walls. High-end EF2 tornado winds of 125 to 135 mph likely caused...