Tornado Events Summary October 16th, 2021

A strong cold front pushed it’s way through our region early Saturday Morning (16 October 2021) and in doing so it produced quite a bit of precipitation. While most of the region say rain and maybe saw a few flashes of lightning, one particular storm produced at least 8 tornadoes across the state of Ohio, including one in Muskingum County, and the other in Guernsey County. 

The thunderstorm in question had it’s origin’s west of Evansville, IN. At around 8:00 PM EDT Friday, this thunderstorm developed around the center of an area of low pressure located over Evansville, IN, which was connected to the overall cold front. Over the next several hours, this thunderstorm would travel northeastwards, following the northern edge of the Ohio River. After having gone through some slight restructuring and cosmetic adjustments, the thunderstorm (and the overall low pressure center) arrived into the Cincinnati, OH metro by 11:30 PM EDT. The environment around southern Ohio was characterized by high wind shear, especially in the area around the center of low pressure where wind shear values were up to around 60 knots. The air-mass around our region was already summer-like, with dew points in the mid (and sometimes upper) 60s and surface temperatures hovering around 70° by 11:00 PM EDT. In addition, a small amount of instability remained in the area, and while it may not have been enough to produce very strong thunderstorms, the forcing provided to the storm by the cold front was enough to sustain it.

After passing through Cincinnati OH, this thunderstorm continued to move through southern Ohio, producing a couple of Tornado Warnings as radar indicated that rotation existed within this thunderstorm. Although warnings were issued around this region, no tornadoes have been confirmed to have occurred around Cincinnati, OH.
The first tornado to occur in our region happened at around 12:53 AM on Saturday, 16 October. This tornado was an EF-0 which occurred around 7 miles southwest of Hillsboro, OH. This tornado produced mainly tree damage, though some homes around the area sustained minor roof damage. The peak winds from this tornado were estimated to be upwards of 80 mph, and 150 feet wide at it’s widest.

Strong rotation continued within this thunderstorm, and by 1:03 AM EDT, the second tornado was produced. This tornado was an EF-1 which occurred roughly 3 miles north of Hillsboro, OH and continued on the ground for roughly 5 minutes, travelling a distance of 3.1 miles. This tornado produced mainly tree damage, through a few structures sustained minor damage. The peak winds from this tornado were estimated to be upwards of 95 mph, and 210 feet at it’s widest. This tornado was observed on radar imagery. 

The thunderstorm would then continue into Ross County. At 1:25 AM, a third tornado was produced. This tornado was an EF-0 which occurred just southwest of South Salem, OH. This brief tornado lasted only one minute, but managed to uproot some trees and removed the roof from a mobile home. A child sustained minor injuries as a result of flying glass from this tornado. The peak winds from this tornado were estimated to be upwards of 85 mph, and 60 feet at it’s widest. 

Minutes later the fourth, a stronger tornado was produced by this thunderstorm in South Salem. This tornado was an EF-2 which occurred at 1:28 AM and continued until 1:31 AM, travelling around 0.7 miles in the process. When the tornado touched down, it did so around the South Salem cemetery, causing damage to some of the trees. Afterwards, it travelled to Stewart Street where it damaged two structures; lofting the roof of one of them and partially collapsing it’s walls. The tornado continued towards Main Street, where it snapped power poles and continued to cause damage to many trees, as well as minor structural damage. This tornado then headed towards Lower Twin Road where it diminished. The peak winds from this tornado were estimated to be upwards of 115 mph, and 300 feet at it’s widest.
The thunderstorm then made it’s way into northern Ross County, where it produced it’s fifth tornado. This tornado was an EF-1 which touched down near Frankfort at around 1:42 AM. The damage from this tornado was confined mostly to trees, many of which were knocked over. A home sustained minor roof damage along Albright Road. This tornado was the longest tracked one of the group, with a path length of roughly 3.4 miles. The peak winds from this tornado were estimated to be upwards of 85 mph, and 225 feet at it’s widest. 

The thunderstorm then moved into southeastern Pickaway County, where it produced it’s sixth tornado. This tornado was an EF-1 which began near a home along Wolfe Road. This home two-story home subsequently lost it’s roof when the tornado passed over it. The tornado also damaged a truck and removed the siding of the property across the street. This tornado then continued into a wooded area where it cross Boggs Road and then diminished. The peak winds from this tornado were estimated to be upwards of 110 mph, and 240 feet at it’s widest.

The thunderstorm then crossed into Fairfield County, where some wind damage was reported. However, the rotation began to diminish a bit as the thunderstorm moved over portions of Perry County, and then into southern Muskingum County. The radar continued to show faint signs of rotation as the thunderstorm restructured itself a little bit. At the same time, the thunderstorm entered an area of limited radar coverage, and aside from the smaller radar TCMH out of Columbus, OH, no discernable velocity radar imagery was present over this region. 

The thunderstorm then produced it’s seventh tornado. This tornado was an EF-1 which began near Chandlersville Road and Coon Ridge Road. The tornado then moved into Chandlersville, where it caused considerable damage to a farm, and heavily damaged a cement silo. Many homes in the region, and some non-residential structures, sustained roof damage and damage to the sidings. A few homes had their windows blown out as well. Considerable tree damage was present with many uprooted and some even snapped at the trunk. The tornado was on the ground from 3:44 AM until 3:47 AM, roughly three minutes, and it travelled a distance of 1.4 miles. The peak winds from this tornado were estimated to be upwards of 95 mph, and over 1000 feet at it’s widest. This was the first tornado in Muskingum County since 24 June 2019, and the 20th since 1950.

The Chandlersville tornado occurred with no tornado warning, and this was the result of limited radar coverage, and it was not until an hour-and-a-half later than damage reports started to come through the NWS storm reports. It should also be noted that the cause for delay in the storm reports lies mostly with the fact that this tornado had caused during a time frame in which most people are asleep. 

Afterwards, the thunderstorm produced at least one more tornado in our region, the eighth. This tornado was an EF-0 which touched down briefly at 3:53 AM just north of New Concord. The damage caused by this tornado was confined mainly to Fritter Road where a barn sustained some roof damage, and some tree damage had occurred. This was the first recorded tornado in Guernsey County since 12 September 2013, and the 11th since records began in 1950. The peak winds from this tornado were estimated to be upwards of 85 mph, and 75 feet at it’s widest.
Much like the Chandlersville Tornado, the New Concord tornado also occurred without any warning. The reason for this was the same as with the previous tornado.

Additional tornadoes were produced across portions of western Pennsylvania during the early morning hours of Saturday, 16 October. As well, a previous tornado had occurred in Clyde, OH on Friday Afternoon.
In total, 8 tornadoes occurred in southern Ohio early Saturday Morning from a single storm. One tornado was an EF-2; three were rated EF-1, and four were rated as EF-0. The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale uses damage to estimate the winds of a tornado, and these winds are classified into 6 categories from EF-0 to EF-5…
EF0: 65 – 85 mphEF1: 86 – 110 mphEF2: 111 – 135 mphEF3: 136 – 165 mphEF4: 166 – 200 mphEF5: >200 mph
It should be noted that while not as frequent, tornado outbreaks are known to occur in Ohio during the autumn months. 

That’s your weather!