Damaging Winds and High Wind in Ohio, October 24, 2001

Name: Damaging Winds and High Wind in Ohio, October 24, 2001
Start: 2001-10-24T21:45
End: 2001-10-24T23:00
Location: Ohio

October 24, 2001 · NWS RLX · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

A squall line raced northeast at around 40 mph, ahead of a strong autumn cold front. A few thunderstorms bowed out, ahead of the main line, prompting brief severe thunderstorm warnings.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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: 3
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 RLX wrote it up.

A squall line raced northeast at around 40 mph, ahead of a strong autumn cold front. A few thunderstorms bowed out, ahead of the main line, prompting brief severe thunderstorm warnings. Otherwise, wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph were common in southeast Ohio.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 24, 2:19 PM EST, 7 hours 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 24, 2:19 PM EST, 7 hours 26 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
319 PM EDT WED OCT 24 2001

SHORT TERM:  MODELS TRENDS CONTINUE TO BE FARTHER NW WITH THE BEST
DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH STRONG COLD FRONT BLOWING THROUGH AREA
TONIGHT.  WILL ADD STRONG WORDING FOR THUNDERSTORMS NW COUNTIES AND
HOIST WIND ADV EVERYWHERE OVERNIGHT...PRIMARILY WORRIED ABOUT GUSTS
JUST AS FRONT GOES BY.

FAIRLY STRONG WINDS INDICATED FOR THU AND EVEN FRI...BUT
WILL LEAVE TO MID SHIFT TOP CONSIDER WHETHER OR NOT TO EXTEND OR
REISSUE WIND ADV FOR THU.

CONT...CAT POPS TONIGHT...OTHERWISE LOOKS DRY INTO FRIDAY.  WILL
FARTHER CURTAIL POPS FRIDAY TO NORTHEAST COUNTIES DURING THE
AFTERNOON AS IT TAKES UNTIL XTNDD TO GET WRAP AROUND BEHIND SECOND
SHOT OF COLD AIR GOING.

GENERALLY IN BETWEEN THE NUMBERS...FWCS DO LOOK INORDINATELY HIGH
FOR HIGHS FRI.  ABOVE GUIDANCE POPS FOR TONIGHT.

XTNDD:  MDLS HV EVOLVED INTO A BENIGN PD WITH HI PRES BLDNG IN FM
THE MIDDLE MS RVR VLY FM SUN ON.  B4 THAT NWRLY CAA FLO DOMINATES
FRI NGT AND SAT WITH TNKNSS VALUES OF 2768DM IN THE H10-H7 LAYER AND
1280DM IN THE H10-H8...SO THERE IS JUSTIFICATION FOR SN.  HWVR WITH
CLD TEMPS ARND -7C...THAT MAKES ME THINK RA CUD MIX IN AS CLDS WUD
LKLY BE COMPOSED OF LIQUID DROPLETS.  SO WL PLAY RA/SN IN THE SRN
LOLNDS FRI NGT OTRW SN ELSW.  SAT CHC RA/SN ACR THE ENTIRE AREA.  BY
MON THE WRMUP COMMENCES AS HI PRES SLIPS OFF THE ERN SEABOARD
ESTABLISHING A WAA PATTERN FOR THE EARLY PART OF THE WEEK.

.RLX...
WV...WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES WVZ005>011...WVZ013>020...
WVZ024>040...WVZ046>047.

VA...WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES VAZ003>004.

KY...WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES KYZ101>103...KYZ105.

OH...WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES OHZ066>067...OHZ075>076...
OHZ083>087.

.END/ TRM / 99

The radar

The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:46 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: October 24, 9:45 PM EST
Where: Jackson County, Jackson
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.050, -82.633

A few large trees were blown down, resulting in some power outages.

Thunderstorm Wind, Meigs

When: October 24, 10:25 PM EST
Where: Meigs County, Sumner
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 39.133, -81.917

Large tree branches were snapped off.

High Wind, Washington

When: October 24, 10:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.455, -81.495 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind gusts estimated around 40 mph caused scattered property damage, mainly from branches falling onto homes. The southern end of the county, from Barlow to Belpre and Little Hocking bore the brunt of the wind. An interstate construction sign blew into an approaching vehicle near Marietta, causing minor injuries.

Thunderstorm Wind, Meigs

When: October 24, 10:32 PM EST
Where: Meigs County, Tuppers Plains
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.167, -81.850

Power lines were knocked down by fallen trees.

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.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Ohio in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Ohio, October 2001

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: 5268420, 5268421, 5268423, 5268422.