Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 3, 1997

Name: Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 3, 1997
Start: 1997-05-03T12:00
End: 1997-05-03T16:55
Location: Ohio

May 3, 1997 · NWS CLE · 9 events in 7 counties and zones

Trees and power lines were downed, and cars and buildings were damaged or destroyed. In Chesterville (Morrow County), a machine shed was destroyed and the roof blown off a barn.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $201,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS CLE wrote it up.

Trees and power lines were downed, and cars and buildings were damaged or destroyed. In Chesterville (Morrow County), a machine shed was destroyed and the roof blown off a barn. Large pieces of the roof of a fabric store were blown off and showered onto parked cars in Warren (Trumbull). In Portage County, near Palmyra, a tractor trailer carrying 76 drums of chemicals was toppled and Interstate 76 was closed for two hours while the spill was being contained. Also, in Portage County, in Randolph Township, a tree fell on a pickup truck traveling on US Rt. 224. The passengers were unhurt. In Canal Fulton (Stark), a man was trapped in a car after a tree fell on a utility pole, pushing live wires onto the vehicle. The tree destroyed one other car and damaged a third. Also in Stark County, a tree limb fell on a house in Minerva.

The radar

The Cleveland radar (KCLE), 124 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When: May 3, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Knox County, Mt Vernon
Property damage: $2,000
Coordinates: 40.400, -82.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Morrow

When: May 3, 12:30 PM EST
Where: Morrow County, Chesterville
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 40.480, -82.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Stark

When: May 3, 1:30 PM EST
Where: Stark County, Meyers
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 40.770, -81.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Trumbull

When: May 3, 2:00 PM EST
Where: Trumbull County, Warren
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 41.230, -80.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Summit

When: May 3, 4:43 PM EST
Where: Summit County, Akron
Property damage: $2,000
Coordinates: 41.080, -81.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Portage

When: May 3, 4:50 PM EST
Where: Portage County, Randolph
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 41.030, -81.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Stark

When: May 3, 4:50 PM EST
Where: Stark County, Canal Fulton
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 40.880, -81.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Portage

When: May 3, 4:50 PM EST
Where: Portage County, Palmyra
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 41.100, -81.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Mahoning

When: May 3, 4:55 PM EST
Where: Mahoning County, Youngstown
Property damage: $2,000
Coordinates: 41.070, -80.650

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Ohio in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Ohio, May 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5601687, 5601685, 5601691, 5601684, 5601686, 5601688, 5601690, 5601692, 5601689.