Wilmington, Ohio (March 1, 2024) – A line of severe thunderstorms moved through Ohio early Wednesday morning, February 28th, spawning several tornadoes and causing damage across multiple counties. Thankfully, no injuries or fatalities were reported.
Seven were located in the Central Ohio Area and Three were in or close to Pickaway County.
Multiple Tornadoes Confirmed:
- Montgomery/Greene County (EF1): This tornado touched down near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, damaging buildings and planes.
- Clark/Madison County (EF2): This tornado caused widespread damage, including destroying several barns and outbuildings, along its 21.3-mile path.
- Madison County (EF1): This tornado damaged homes and trees near London and West Jefferson.
- Franklin County (EF1): This tornado caused damage along its path from Hilliard to Upper Arlington.
- Franklin County (EF0): This weak tornado caused minor tree damage near Darbydale. The first known damage from this tornado occurred on the southeast corner of the intersection of Biggert Road and London Groveport Road. Several stands of trees in this area were damaged, and some minor roof damage to outbuildings was also observed. One stand of trees south of London Groveport Road had several trees snapped at the trunk. Additional minor tree damage was observed further west on London Groveport Road. After this, the tornado is believed to have moved over a forested area near Big Darby Creek, and no additional damage was found.
- Pickaway County (EF0): This tornado damaged trees and buildings near Harrisburg. The first known damage from this tornado occurred south of Carson Road, where several trees were damaged. With thanks to the Ohio Department of Transportation, it was noted that storm damage was blown onto southbound Interstate 71 at this location. Additional damage was found further east on Carson Road, with roof damage to some homes, and a stand of trees with a notable but narrow path of damage. More tree damage was located on the southwest side of Harrisburg, along Harrisburg Road and US Route 62. Finally, some trees and tree branches were downed on Ohio State Route 762, just south of US Route 62.
- Franklin County (EF0): This tornado uprooted trees near Groveport and Canal Winchester. The tornado likely began within our near the Walnut Woods Metro Park area, more specifically west of Richardson Road. Numerous pine trees were snapped and uprooted, likely indicating the strongest period of the tornado. The tornado continued eastward over Lithopolis Road where more tree damage was observed. Into the Canal Winchester area, additional tree damage and light structure was observed throughout the city with the damage centered on West Waterloo Street on the north side of town. Based on available data, the tornado is suspected to have dissipated on the north side of town west of US 33 where light damage was observed on North High Street.
- Franklin/Licking County (EF2): This tornado traveled the farthest, causing significant damage across 14.1 miles from Gahanna to Granville.
National Weather Service Completes Damage Surveys:
The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio, conducted damage surveys for each tornado, working with local emergency management agencies. This information will help assess the extent of the damage and guide recovery efforts.
