The month of August brought tornadoes, thunderstorms and flooding to central Ohio that left significant damage and disrupted daily life as a derecho whipped through the area.
Severe thunderstorms and multiple tornados hit the region Aug. 11, and flash flooding wreaked havoc Aug. 20 after more rainfall.
Before September arrives, read on for a recap of August weather in central Ohio, encompassing multiple severe weather events that has given the month some lasting infamy. Vehicles were overturned, roofs were detached, schools were closed and first responders fielded calls as the severe weather event impacted central Ohioans.
Three tornadoes touched down in Franklin County
Five tornadoeswere confirmed by the National Weather Service to have occurred in central Ohio during the Aug. 11 storms, including
a tornado that flipped a vehicle on Interstate 71.
The tornados varied on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
- EF0: Weak, with wind speeds of 65 to 85 mph
- EF1: Weak, 86 to 110 mph
- EF2: Strong, 111 to 135 mph
- EF3: Strong, 136 to 165 mph
- EF4: Violent, 166 to 200 mph
- EF5: Violent, greater than 200 mph
In Franklin County, an EF1 tornado with winds reaching 100 mph touched down at 10:05 a.m. in south Columbus and lifted four minutes later. This tornado cut a path nearly 2 miles long and 100 yards wide.
The NWS said homes along Parsons Avenue, South Champion Avenue and Reeb Avenue were damaged, as well as businesses and trees on Lockbourne Road. The roof of at least one home caved in because of a fallen tree, according to the agency.
Another Franklin County EF1 tornado touched down near Olde Towne East, east of downtown Columbus, at 10:08 a.m. It damaged trees and buildings on Oak Street near South 18th Street and between Fair Avenue and Oak Street.
The tornado dissipated at 10:10 a.m., the weather service said. Its peak winds were 90 mph, and it left a path 1.3 miles long and as wide as 150 yards.
A weaker EF0 tornado generated at 10:05 a.m. in Upper Arlington near Kenny Road, crossing State Route 315 and then moving east down Ackerman Road.
The tornado crossed the Olentangy River, damaging a few businesses along North High Street before following Glen Echo Creek eastward. The tornado traveled 2.7 miles, and its path was as wide as 150 yards, the weather service said.
It likely dissipated at 10:08 a.m. near Beulah and East Weber Roads, where surveyors observed some straight-line wind damage to the east.
Two tornadoes leave damage in Madison County
An EF0 tornado touched down at 9:51 a.m. southeast of Plain City near Georgesville in Madison County Aug. 11, the weather service reported.
The tornado damaged trees along Big Darby Creek as it moved southeast. It also damaged outbuildings along Amity Pike, the weather service said.
It damaged crops in fields north of Amity Pike but not south of the road, so the tornado likely dissipated there at 9:53 a.m., the weather service said. It had maximum winds of 80 mph and traveled 1.21 miles with a path 100 yards wide.
A stronger EF1 tornado with wind speeds of 90 mph touched down at 9:44 a.m. northwest of Choctaw Lake and lifted a minute later, leaving a 0.8-mile path 125 yards wide at its maximum.
In total, at least 16 tornadoes touched down in the state Aug. 11. Here are the 11 tornadoes not mentioned above:
- Butler and Hamilton counties: An EF1 tornado with peak wind speeds of 90 mph touched down at 3:13 p.m. near Millville in Butler County and lifted 12 minutes later near Ross in Hamilton County. It left an 11.33 mile path 500 yards wide at its maximum.
- Brown and Adams counties: An EF1 tornado with peak winds of 100 mph ripped through these counties for about eight minutes, from 4:16 p.m. to 4:24 p.m., leaving behind a 7-mile path of destruction 350 yards wide.
- Brown and Highland counties: An EF0 tornado with maximum winds of 80 mph touched down near Fayetteville in Brown County at 3:59 p.m. and lifted 5 minutes later near Mount Orab in Highland County. It cut a path 3.6 miles long and 300 yards wide.
- Champaign County: An EF1 tornado with winds reaching 110 mph touched down southeast of Urbana at 9:30 a.m. and lifted 4 minutes later. It cut a path 3.6 miles long and 200 yards wide.
- Clark County: An EF2 tornado with wind speeds of 115 mph touched down at 9:33 a.m. near Catawba and lifted at 9:38 a.m., leaving a 3.5-mile path 400 yards wide at its maximum.
- Clark County: An EF1 tornado with wind speeds of 100 mph touched down east of Springfield at 9:31 a.m. and lifted 9 minutes later. It left behind a path 9.1 miles long and 200 yards wide at its maximum.
- Clark County: An EF0 tornado with winds of 80 mph touched down at 9:24 a.m. north of Springfield and lifted at 9:30 a.m., cutting a 4.5-mile path 150 yards wide.
- Clermont County: An EF0 tornado with peak winds of 85 mph struck near Owensville at 3:47 p.m. and lifted 6 minutes later. It cut a path 5.2 miles long and 200 yards wide.
- Clermont County: An EF0 tornado with winds speeds reaching 80 mph touched down near Montery at 3:49 p.m. and lifted at 3:55 p.m. That tornado was on the ground for 5.5 miles with a maximum with of 150 yards.
Two tornadoes from severe storms Aug. 15 were confirmed via video evidence, according to the NWS. They touched down north of Dayton and Springfield, the NWS announced Monday, Aug. 17. One was confirmed north of Fletcher in Miami County, north of Dayton. The other touched down north of St. Paris in Champaign County, north of Springfield.
Aug. 20 breaks rainfall records
This August has been the second-rainiest August on record in Columbus. The total rainfall as of Aug. 30 is 9.94 inches, NWS meteorologist John Franks told the Dispatch.
One day during the month, Aug. 20, broke the Aug. 20 rain record for the city, with 2.87 inches.
Previously, the rainiest Aug. 20 was in 2007, when the city saw 2.37 inches, according to data tracked by Iowa Environmental Mesonet and shared by NBC4 meteorologist Dave Mazza.
August was also the sixth-wettest month on record in the city due to 11 days of consecutive rain and storms.
The severe weather was the result of a steady supply of warm, humid air fueling repeated rounds of rain and thunderstorms instead of typical isolated summertime storms, an NWS meteorologist previously told the Dispatch.
Flooding stranded motorists, devasted Crooksville
The weather service issued a flash flood warning at around 4:45 a.m. Aug. 20 that applied to Columbus, eastern Franklin, southwest Licking and northwest Fairfield counties.
The Columbus Division of Fire performed at least eight water rescues from 4:30 to 8 a.m. that day, Battalion Chief Brian Barnhart previously told the Dispatch. Most of the rescues were people who became stuck in their cars after trying to drive on flooded roads
A Perry County village, Crooksville, experienced severe flooding after the Aug. 11 storms.
Local officials declared a state of emergency following the flooding and widespread power outages, and first responders performed hundreds of rescue operations throughout Perry and Muskingum Counties. The Dispatch confirmed that at least one person died during the flooding.
Forecast for week of Aug. 31
As an August to remember slips away, here is this upcoming week's weather forecast, according to NWS Wilmington:
- Monday, Aug. 31: A high of 92 and mostly sunny. A low of 72 at night.
- Tuesday, Sept. 1: A high of 95 and sunny. A low of 74 at night.
- Wednesday, Sept. 2: A high of 97, hot. A low of 75 at night.
- Thursday, Sept. 3: A high of 93, mostly sunny and then a chance of thunderstorms and showers after 2 p.m. A low of 71 at night, with a chance of thunderstorms and showers.
- Friday, Sept. 4: A high of 88, partly sunny, with a chance of thunderstorms and showers after 2 p.m. A low of 67 at night with a chance of thunderstorms.
Dispatch Reporter Nora Igelnik can be reached at nigelnik@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus saw its 2nd-rainiest August amid tornadoes and flooding
