Ohio had nine confirmed tornadoes after heavy thunderstorms July 21 brought severe weather to the state.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS) Charleston, West Virginia office release on July 25, the office tracked an EF1 tornado from the Wayne National Forest northwest of the Leith community in Washington County, Ohio across the Ohio River into the Raven Rock community of Pleasants County, West Virginia. The NWS reported damage across southeast Ohio and West Virginia.
That tornado was the third tornado in Ohio tracked from that NWS office, and the ninth confirmed by NWS offices across the state. Tornadoes are rated based on the "Enhanced Fujita Scale," which measures tornadoes based on estimated wind speed and related damage on a scale
from EF0 to EF5, with EF5 being the highest.
On July 21, severe weather rolled through Ohio, where the NWS predicted strong winds, large hail, heavy rainfall and the possibility of isolated tornadoes.
Three tornadoes were confirmed in the southwest Ohio region near Cincinnati, according to the NWS Wilmington office, including an EF1 in Clermont County and an EF0 in Brown County. Another EF0 tornado touched down in Clinton County, and traveled over three miles from Sabina to near the Highland County border.
The NWS Pittsburgh office confirmed that two tornadoes had touched down in Muskingum County, including an EF0 in Fultonham and a EF1 in South Zanesville.
The NWS Cleveland office confirmed an EF0 tornado in Trumbull and Mahoning counties that traveled over 6 miles and reached gusts of 85 miles per hour.
More severe weather expected in central Ohio this week
According to the NWS Wilmington office, more severe weather could be on tap for early this week. On July 26, thunderstorms are expected in the evening into the overnight hours. Some of the storms may be severe, and damaging winds will be the main threat.
The NWS office could not offer high confidence on the timing of the severe weather. The NWS also expects there could be thunderstorms into Tuesday.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: National Weather Service confirms 9 Ohio tornadoes. See where
