An approaching upper level low pressure system brought a band of showers and thunderstorms across central Ohio. Cold air associated with the low helped to produce very weak tornadoes with these storms.
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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.
The episode as NWS ILN wrote it up.
An approaching upper level low pressure system brought a band of showers and thunderstorms across central Ohio. Cold air associated with the low helped to produce very weak tornadoes with these storms.
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 Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 14, 6:02 PM EST, 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 702 PM EDT SAT MAY 14 2011 .SYNOPSIS... AN UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVING INTO THE REGION WILL MEANDER FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. AS A RESULT TEMPERATURES WILL BELOW NORMAL...WITH CLOUDY CONDITIONS AND GOOD CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION. THE LOW SHOULD MOVE OUT OF THE AREA BY LATE WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS NEARING THE OHIO VALLEY THIS EVENING. A BROKEN BAND OF SHOWERS WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MOVING NE ACROSS THE CINCINNATI AREA WILL CONTINUE TO PROGRESS ACROSS THE AREA...WITH A FEW SHOWERS POPPING UP AHEAD OF THIS LINE. INTENSITY OF THESE STORMS SHOULD DECREASE AT SUNSET...HOWEVER LIGHT TO MODERATE SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO LINGER INTO LATE INTO THE EVENING. THE FOCUS OF SHOWER ACTIVITY LATER TONIGHT IS EXPECTED TO BE ACROSS OUR NORTHERN ZONES AS MODELS ARE FORECASTING LOW PRESSURE TO SETUP A CONVERGENCE BOUNDARY IN THAT AREA. HAVE KEPT HIGH CHANCE POPS IN THE SW ZONES...PROGRESSING THEM NE WHILE LOWERING THEM GRADUALLY THROUGH THE EVENING...BEFORE SETTING UP LIKELY POPS OVER THE NORTHERN ZONES LATE TONIGHT. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... RIDGING OVER CANADA WILL BUILD EASTWARD...TRAPPING THE UPPER LOW OVER OUR REGION THROUGH THE PERIOD. THE COLD POOL AND INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW WILL CONTINUE TO BRING INCREASED CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION THROUGH TUESDAY. THE COLD POOL AND CLOUD COVER WILL ALSO KEEP TEMPERATURES WELL BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. THE BEST CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION WILL BE DURING THE DAYTIME HOURS...WITH THE INCREASED DIURNAL INSTABILITY. LINGERING SHOWERS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. CHANCES FOR THUNDER WILL BE ON THE DECREASE AS TEMPERATURES WILL BECOME UN-SUPPORTIVE OF THIS TYPE OF CONVECTION. SOME FLOODING ISSUES MAY ARISE IN SOME AREAS DUE TO PERSISTENT HEAVY RAINS. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... FORECAST MODELS ARE CONTINUING TO INDICATE THAT THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MEANDER OVER THE REGION THROUGH AT LEAST THE MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK. THERE IS SOME DISAGREEMENT TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEK ON HOW FAST THE LOW WILL EVENTUALLY PUSH EAST. THE 12Z GFS AND TO A LESSER EXTENT THE 12Z GEM ARE TRYING TO BRING IN SOME NARROW MID/UPPER LEVEL RIDGING THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AHEAD OF NEXT UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVING ACROSS THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. MEANWHILE...THE 00Z ECMWF IS KEEPING THIS RIDGING FARTHER BACK TO THE WEST WITH THE UPPER LEVEL LOW PRETTY MUCH REMAINING OVER US THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. GIVEN THE CURRENT BLOCKING PATTERN...WOULD NOT NECESSARILY BE SURPRISED IF THE ECMWF ENDS UP BEING RIGHT...BUT IT IS ALSO TOUGH TO BELIEVE THE LOW WOULD REALLY HANG AROUND THAT LONG. BASED ON THE UNCERTAINTY...WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF POPS GOING ON THROUGH FRIDAY. WILL PLACE AN EMPHASIS ON THE AFTERNOON TO EARLY EVENING AS SOME OF THIS WILL MOST LIKELY BE DIURNALLY ENHANCED. IT LOOKS LIKE WE REMAIN STABLE ENOUGH IN THE FIRST PART OF THE WEEK TO KEEP ANY THUNDERSTORM THREAT RELATIVELY LOW. HOWEVER...AS WE PROGRESS THROUGH THE WEEK...THINK WE SHOULD BEGIN TO SEE SOME BETTER INSTABILITIES DEVELOP AND WILL INCLUDE A MENTION OF THUNDER FROM ABOUT WEDNESDAY ONWARD. EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO BE ON THE COOL SIDE TO START THE WEEK GIVEN UPPER LEVEL LOW AND COOL NORTH TO NORTHEASTERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW. WILL THEREFORE UNDERCUT GUIDANCE FOR HIGHS AND GO CLOSER TO WHAT IS SUGGESTED BY THE LOW LEVEL THERMAL FIELDS. TEMPERATURES LATER IN THE WEEK WILL BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON WHETHER OR NOT THE UPPER LEVEL LOW PUSHES EAST. FOR NOW HAVE ALLOWED FOR A GRADUAL WARMING TREND WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY BUT CONFIDENCE IN THIS IS NOT TERRIBLY HIGH. && .AVIATION /23Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE WILL KEEP OCCASIONAL SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AT TAF SITES THROUGH THE PERIOD. PEAK OF ACTIVITY MAY BE THIS AFTERNOON WHEN INSTABILITY WILL BE GREATEST. WIDESPREAD MVFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS WILL ACCOMPANY THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. CEILINGS WILL DROP TO IFR BETWEEN 08Z AND 15Z. WINDS WILL REMAIN BELOW 10 KNOTS WHILE GRADUALLY SHIFTING FROM SOUTH TO WEST. OUTLOOK...MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS AND MVFR VISIBILITIES ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH MONDAY. && .ILN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...NONE. KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...LATTO NEAR TERM...LATTO SHORT TERM...LATTO LONG TERM...JGL AVIATION...CONIGLIO
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 436 AM EDT SAT MAY 14 2011 INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>100-OHZ026-034-035-042>046- 051>056-060>065-070>074-077>082-088-150900- WAYNE-FAYETTE IN-UNION IN-FRANKLIN IN-RIPLEY-DEARBORN-OHIO- SWITZERLAND-CARROLL-GALLATIN-BOONE-KENTON-CAMPBELL-OWEN-GRANT- PENDLETON-BRACKEN-ROBERTSON-MASON-LEWIS-HARDIN-MERCER-AUGLAIZE-DARKE- SHELBY-LOGAN-UNION OH-DELAWARE-MIAMI-CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-MADISON- FRANKLIN OH-LICKING-PREBLE-MONTGOMERY-GREENE-FAYETTE OH-PICKAWAY- FAIRFIELD-BUTLER-WARREN-CLINTON-ROSS-HOCKING-HAMILTON-CLERMONT-BROWN- HIGHLAND-ADAMS-PIKE-SCIOTO- 436 AM EDT SAT MAY 14 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL INDIANA...SOUTHEAST INDIANA...NORTHEAST KENTUCKY...NORTHERN KENTUCKY...CENTRAL OHIO...MIAMI VALLEY OF OHIO...SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO...SOUTHWEST OHIO AND WEST CENTRAL OHIO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION TODAY INTO TONIGHT. A FEW STORMS MAY REACH SEVERE LIMITS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH LARGE HAIL BEING THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. IN ADDITION... LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN MAY ACCOMPANY THUNDERSTORMS...RESULTING IN MINOR FLOODING ISSUES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
327 PM EDT SAT MAY 14 2011
OHZ074-142015-
HOCKING OH-
327 PM EDT SAT MAY 14 2011
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT EASTERN HOCKING COUNTY THROUGH
415 PM EDT...
AT 322 PM EDT...RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR STARR...
MOVING NORTH AT 20 MPH.
WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL ARE POSSIBLE
WITH THIS STORM.
SOME LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...LOGAN AND CARBON HILL.
ALSO...STARR...UNION FURNACE...HAYDENVILLE...LAKE LOGAN STATE PARK...
ENTERPRISE AND OREVILLE ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STRONG
THUNDERSTORM.
RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT. IF THIS STORM BECOMES
STRONGER...THEN A WARNING MAY BE NEEDED.
LAT...LON 3947 8223 3947 8227 3938 8229 3939 8250
3937 8252 3937 8255 3960 8251 3961 8250
3965 8249 3966 8237 3960 8237 3960 8226
3956 8225 3956 8218The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:42 UTC.
2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A tornado briefly touched down. No damage occurred.
A tornado briefly touched down with no damage reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Ohio, 2011Warnings in Ohio, May 2011
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: 299348, 299349.