Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Ohio, November 5, 2017

An EF1 tornado touched down in rural Townsend Township near the intersection of Fuller Road and Copp Road. The tornado continued northeast and damaged three homes as it crossed State Route 412. One home had a bedroom destroyed and lost a large section of roofing. Two other homes in the area sustained significant roof damage. The tornado weakened to EF0 and then lifted as it reached Rockwell Road south of Thorpe Drive. This tornado was on the ground for just over a mile and a quarter and had a path up to 50 yards in width. No injuries were reported.

An EF1 tornado touched down in open farmland in rural Oxford Township just west of Ransom Road and about half way between Mason Road and the Ohio Turnpike. The tornado continued northeast on the ground for about a mile and a quarter before weakening to EF0 intensity and lifting just as it entered NASA's Plum Brook Station. A home near the initial touchdown was damaged by several trees blown over by the tornado. A small barn was leveled and a trailer flipped at a second property nearby. The tornado ripped a large section of roof including trusses off of a house on Mason Road. The roof was found on the NASA facility nearby. Trees were downed along the entire damage path including on the southwestern end of the NASA property. The damage path was up to 50 yards in width. No injuries were reported.

Thunderstorm winds downed several trees and some power lines southwest of Huron along Huron Avery Road.

Thunderstorm winds snapped a large tree and flattened a shed along County Road 90 east of Gibsonburg.

A thunderstorm downburst produced wind gusts in excess of 80 mph and caused a three mile long damage path across the northwest and north ends of Findlay. The damage path began in an industrial park off of Westfield Drive just west of Interstate 75. Warehouse and factory buildings in the area sustained varying amounts of roof and wall damage. In some instances cinder block walls gave way after the roofs above them were torn away or damaged. A restaurant at a shopping plaza near Interstate 75 was also damaged. The damage path continued northeast across the interstate. Several light poles at the athletic fields at Findlay High School were toppled. One of the poles landed on a parked vehicle and a second struck the high school. The high school sustained some roof damage and also had several windows blown out. From the high school, the damage path continued down Trenton Avenue. Another restaurant sustained major damage after an exterior wall was heavily damaged. Right down the street, a mobile home was destroyed and several others damaged. Two travel trailers parked nearby were overturned and destroyed. One of those was blown into a garage causing a cinder block wall to collapse. A roof was blown off of a detached garage. Several large hardwood trees were snapped near the intersection of Trenton Avenue and Main Street. More snapped or uprooted trees were observed in the neighborhood around East Melrose Avenue. A couple mobile homes along Melrose Avenue were shifted from their foundations and a three story apartment building along Crystal Avenue lost a section of roofing. An industrial building nearby was also heavily damaged after part of the roof was torn off and a wall partially collapsed. Scattered power outages were reported across the area.

Thunderstorm winds destroyed a large barn near the intersection of State Route 235 and Township Road 27.

Thunderstorm winds tore the roof off a barn near the intersection of County Roads 6 and 591.

Thunderstorm winds downed several trees along County Road 7 south of Bascom.

Thunderstorm winds downed around a dozen utility poles southeast of New Riegel along State Route 587.

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 mph caused major damage to home on Township Road 87 east southeast of Fostoria. A garage at a property nearby was also heavily damaged.

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 mph destroyed three barns and heavily damaged two more along State Route 635 north of Bascom. A home nearby also sustained some damage.

Thunderstorm downburst winds estimated to be as much as 70 mph caused considerable damage on the south side of Tiffin and also across Seneca and Eden Townships to the south of the city. Hundreds of trees and large limbs were downed across the area along with many utility poles. In Tiffin, homes were reported damaged on Melmore Street, Mohawk Street, Longfellow Drive and Coe Streets. 55 trees were toppled or uprooted in Greenlawn Cemetary on the southeast side of Tiffin. Several barns were damaged in Seneca and Eden Townships. The damage was most concentrated along County Road 19 and Township Road 159 south of Melmore. Several roads and streets were blocked by fallen trees and widespread power outages were reported throughout the Tiffin area.

Thunderstorm wind gust estimated at 70 mph damaged the roof of a home along State Route 101 near Weiker Airport in northern Seneca County. Two barns nearby were also heavily damaged.

Thunderstorm downburst winds estimated at 70 mph caused damage along State Route 18 from about two miles west of Republic to Republic. Nearly every property along State Route 18 from Schubert Road to County Road 43 sustained damage. Several homes had roof damage and a couple barns lost entire roofs. A semi trailer was overturned and many trees were toppled or uprooted. Part of a unharvested corn field was flattened. Several homes in the town of Republic also sustained roof damage. The damage also continued east of Republic along State Route 162. A couple barns were heavily damaged and a couple dozen trees toppled. Damage was also reported just to the south along Township Road 8 which runs parallel to State Routes 18 and 162. Scattered power outages were reported throughout the Republic area.

Thunderstorm winds snapped four utility poles south of Attica along State Route 4.

A weak tornado touched downed in a field in rural Adams Township. The initial touchdown occurred east of County Road 21 about half way between Township Road 138 and County Road 38. A few trees were snapped or uprooted near the initial touchdown. The tornado then continued east as it rapidly strengthened to EF2 intensity. The tornado leveled a large barn as it approached State Route 18. Debris from the barn was found scattered across a large area including wrapped around utility poles and trees. The tornado crossed State Route 18 and lifted before reaching Township Road 183. This tornado was on the ground for just over a half mile.

A weak tornado touched down along Township Road 100 in West Lodi. The location is about 100 yards west of County Road 27. Two storage sheds near the initial touchdown were destroyed and their contents thrown across the area. Debris from the sheds peppered the two houses associated with the sheds. Both homes had projectiles from the sheds sticking out of three of their four sides. Both houses also sustained major roof damage and were shifted off of their foundations. The tornado then continued northeast across County Road 27 and strengthened to EF1 intensity. A couple homes on the east side of Country Road 27 had windows blown out and suffered roof damage. Many trees in the area were also snapped or uprooted. The tornado then continued northeast across farm land before lifting as it approached Township Road 134. Portions of a corn field were flattened by the tornado. The damage path was just under a half mile in width and over 150 yards in width at time.

Thunderstorm winds downed several trees along Egypt Road east of Nivers Road.

Thunderstorm winds estimated to be at least 60 mph tore the roof of a house just east of Plymouth.

An EF1 tornado touched down in Galion near the intersection of Orange and Grand Streets. Many trees in the area were snapped or uprooted. The tornado continued east northeast across the city and damaged three homes as it crossed Union Street. Two of the homes lost some facia, siding and roofing but the third had a fallen tree damage a wall. A warehouse on Market Street lost a section of roofing. A second warehouse along Columbus Street also lost some roofing material. A few blocks to the east two homes were damaged on South Washington Street. One of the homes had it's roof detached and the second lost some roofing and siding material. The tornado then intensified to EF2 as it crossed the southern end of Pierce Street. At least four properties on Pierce Street were damaged. Three of the homes were classified as having major damage and had their roofs torn off in addition to having broken windows and lost siding. Two of the properties also had detached garages destroyed. The fourth house had a porch damaged. Significant damage also occurred a block to the east along Riblet Street. An auto repair shop lots it's roof and had three masonry walls collapse. Bricks from the building were found of the roofs of houses nearby. Three other commercial buildings on Riblet Street lost large sections of roofing. One of the three also sustained damage to an exterior wall. Four homes were damaged on the southern end of East Street. One of the homes sustained major damage in the form of a detached roof. The other three houses sustained lesser amounts of roof and siding damage. The tornado continued east for another block and finally lifted as it reached Walnut Street. Many trees, limbs and utility poles were downed along the damage path which was just over a mile in length and up to 200 yards in width. A total of 21 structures were damaged in Galion with one destroyed and five sustaining major damage. There were no injuries.

An EF1 tornado touched down about a mile west of Steuben on the south side of State Route 162. The tornado moved north and damaged a couple large grain bins. The bins were caved in on their south facing sides. Towers on the top of the bins were toppled in different directions. A semi truck near the bins was knocked over. The tornado then crossed State Route 162 and damaged a home and a barn. The house lost a section of roofing which was found scattered to the south of the house. The tornado damaged another small grain bin before lifting over open farmland. This tornado was on the ground for just over a half mile.

Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated to be at least 70 mph downed over 100 trees on a single property on Ridge Road south of Norwalk.

Thunderstorm winds downed trees south of Monroeville along Terry and Pontiac Section Line Roads. A horse barn on Terry Road was also damaged.

An EF1 tornado touched down in rural Peru Township south of Norwalk. The initial touchdown occurred along State Route 61 about half way between Hasbrock Road and Peru Hollow Road. Some utility poles and trees were downed in the area. The tornado then continued mainly northeast downing many trees. A large swath of pine trees was leveled along Ridge Road just south of Hasbrock Road. The trees were uprooted or snapped in a convergent pattern. The tornado continued northeast to New State Road where a couple of barns and sheds sustained some roof damage. The tornado then crossed the southern end of a golf course where more downed trees and projectiles were observed. The tornado eventually lifted just south of where Old State Road crosses U.S. Route 250. This tornado was on the ground for just under 3 miles and had a damage path up to 200 yards wide.

A weak tornado touched down west of Fitchville near the intersection of Cresent and Rome Greenwich Roads. A mobile home on the south side of Crescent Road was mostly destroyed. The south side of the mobile remained anchored in place while debris from the destroyed northern half of the home was found scattered to the north and south. From the mobile the tornado moved east northeast crossing U.S. Route 250 and only intermittently making contact with the ground. The tornado settled back on the ground as it approached Palmer Road. Several trees were snapped or uprooted in that area. A clear tornado track then continued off to the northeast through several corn fields with evidence of rotation visible. The tornado then damaged a small barn as it crossed Exchange Road. Roofing material from the barn was found scattered on both sides of the road. The tornado eventually lifted just west of the intersection of Fayette and Greenwich East Roads. This tornado had a damage track about three and a quarter miles in length and up to a 100 yards in width.

Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees and large limbs across Ashland County. Around 100 homes lost power as a result of the downed trees.

An EF1 tornado touched down along Wakeman Town Line Road just north of State Route 18. A home near the initial touchdown sustained significant roof damage and some hardwood trees in the area were damaged. The tornado continued east northeast and damaged a couple buildings as it crossed Fitchville River Road. The tornado then turned to the northeast. A barn on St. Johns Road lost most of its roof. Debris from the roof was found up to a quarter mile away. The tornado continued on the ground for a couple hundred yards more before finally lifting over open farmland. Dozens of trees were snapped or uprooted along the damage path. This tornado was on the ground just under two miles and had a damage path up to 100 yards in the width.

An EF0 tornado touched down about a half mile west of Nova. The tornado knocked over or uprooted many trees along it's path. The tornado damaged the roof of a store on the west end of Nova. A farm supply store along the railroad tracks on the north end of the town lost a section of roofing. A nearby grain bin was also damaged. The tornado lifted just after crossing State Route 511. The damage path for this storm was just over a half mile in length.

Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree. The tree landed on a parked vehicle causing some damage.

Thunderstorm downburst winds estimated to be at least 75 mph caused extensive damage across southwestern Lorain County. Damage was observed from the Huron County line east across Rochester, Brighton and Cambden Townships. Damage was observed as far north as Kipton. The damage was most concentrated along and west of State Route 511 from near Brighton north to State Route 303. Six homes and buildings on Gore-Orphanage, Baird and Betts roads were damaged by the strong winds. All of these buildings had west facing overhead garage doors which were blown in. Significant roof and tree damage was also observed. Nearly every property along State Route 511 north from Brighton to near Bronson Road had visible storm damage. At least one farm building was leveled and all of the homes in the area had missing siding, missing roofing or both. Dozens of trees were downed and unharvested cornfields along State Route 511 between Peck Wadsworth and Betts Roads were flattened.

Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree. The tree landed on a car causing extensive damage.

An EF0 tornado touched down in rural Ashland County near the intersection of U.S. Route 30 and State Route 511. Some hardwood trees at that location were either toppled or damage. The tornado then intensified to EF1 strength as it continued east northeast across open farmland. A farm wagon was tossed and destroyed by the tornado and a cow was thrown and sustained a broken leg. The tornado heavily damaged a home along State Route 60 about a third of a mile north of U.S. 30. The house lost about half of its roof and had a brick chimney toppled. Some windows were blown out and the house lost siding on all four sides. An adjacent car port was leveled and a large overhead door in a nearby garage was blown in. The 90 year old occupant of the house was not injured. After striking the house, the tornado weakened and eventually lifted just east of State Route 60. The damage path from this tornado was just over two miles in length.

Thunderstorm winds tore the roof off of a mobile home.

An automated wind sensor measured a 59 mph thunderstorm wind gust.

An automated sensor measured a 59 mph thunderstorm wind gust.

A fast moving line of thunderstorms produced significant straight line wind damage across southeastern Lorain County. Maximum wind gust speeds were estimated to be at least 85 mph. A lot damage was reported in the LaGrange area with dozens of trees downed and many homes and buildings damaged. Most of the building damage was from lost roofing or siding but one business had an exterior wall collapse. A home along Main Street in Lagrange was heavily damaged by a fallen tree. A school building also sustained some roof damage. A whole row of utility poles was snapped south of Lagrange along State Route 301. Many trees, limbs and utility poles were also reported down in the Grafton, Eaton Estates and Columbia Station areas. State Routes 83, 301 and 303 had to be closed because of fallen trees and downed power lines. Many other county roads and streets were also blocked. Over 10,000 electric customers lost power from the storm with full restoration taking over two days. There were reports of many vehicles being damaged by flying debris and fallen trees and limbs. Some of the school districts in the county closed on November 6th.

Thunderstorm winds downed several trees southwest of Wooster.

A thunderstorm downbust with winds estimated to be as much as 85 mph caused extensive damage across the northern end of Medina County. The damage began west of Valley City along the county line and continued east across the Brunswick and Hinckley areas. The damage was most concentrated in Liverpool township where there was significant tree and power pole damage. Hundreds of trees were also downed in Brunswick and Hinckley. Many homes lost roofing or siding and a few were damaged by fallen trees. In Brunswick alone, there were 300 reports of damage with four homes sustaining structural damage and a fifth destroyed from a complete roof collapse caused by a fallen tree. There was also damage across Medina and Granger Townships but it wasn't as widespread. Many roads, including county and state routes were blocked by fallen trees and power lines. Several school districts in the county were closed on November 6th because of power outages. At the peak of the storm over 10,000 people were without power in Median County. It took a couple of days for power to be fully restored.

Thunderstorm winds downed a small shed.

An EF1 tornado touched down at the Secrest Arboretum on the south side of Wooster. The tornado tore half the roof off of the Frederick Rice historical home with debris thrown north-northwest through southeast. East of the home, trees were snapped and uprooted in a convergent pattern. A couple greenhouses were also damaged. This tornado was on the ground for less than a quarter mile and was no more than 50 yards in width.

A thunderstorm downburst produced wind gusts of at least 85 mph and caused extensive damage across the southern end of Cuyahoga County. The damage path began along the county line west of Strongsville and continued east across Strongsville, North Royalton, Broadview Heights, Brecksville and Chagrin Falls. The damage was most concentrated south of State Route 82. Hundreds if not thousands of trees were downed or snapped. Many of the trees landed on homes or parked vehicles. Many other homes lost roofing or siding. Many utility poles were also snapped and widespread power outages occurred. At the peak of the storm over 35,000 customers were without power in Cuyahoga County. The outages were most widespread in Strongsville with over 6,000 impacted. Many school districts had to close on November 6th because of lack of power and blocked roads. It took around three days for power to be fully restored.

Thunderstorm downburst wind gusts estimated to be as much as 100 mph caused extensive damage across northern Summit County. Thousands of trees and dozens of utility poles were reported down in Richfield, Boston, Sagamore Hills and Twinsburg Townships. The damage was most concentrated in the Twinsburg area with hundreds of homes loosing roofing or siding. Many other homes and buildings were damaged by fallen trees. Many vehicles were also damaged by flying debris or downed trees or limbs. There were numerous reports of roads and streets blocked by fallen trees or power lines. A 30,000 volt high power tension line was blown down along Liberty Road near Irena Lane in Twinsburg. The damage in the county extended as far south as Cuyahoga Falls and even Tallmadge. Widespread power outages were reported and school districts in the area had to close on November 6th because of blocked roads and the power outages. Up to 25,000 customers lost power from this storm. It took five days for power to fully restored and weeks for the storm damage to be cleaned up.

Thunderstorm downburst wind gusts estimated to be at 70 mph downed many tree in a neighborhood on the southeast side of Tallmadge. Trees were downed on properties along Newton Street, Ledgebrook Drive and Stonercrest Drive. At least one home also had some windows blown out.

Thunderstorm downburst winds in excess of 100 mph caused extensive damage across northern Portage County. A 105 mph wind gust was measured by an automated sensor in Aurora. Damages stretched from the county line west of Aurora across the northern tier of townships to the eastern end of the county. The damage was most concentrated in Aurora and adjacent Mantua Township. Thousands of trees were downed across the county. Many homes lost roofing or siding and several others were damaged by fallen trees. Many vehicles were reported damaged by flying debris or from fallen trees or limbs. Widespread power outages occurred with full restoration taking around five days. Bleachers at an athletic field at Aurora High School were overturned and destroyed. Several school districts in Portage County were closed on November 6th and some on the 7th because of power outages. Clean up from the storms took weeks.

Thunderstorm downburst winds gusted to as much as 85 mph and caused extensive damage across the southern tier of townships in Geauga County. Sporadic damage was also reported further north in the county. The damage began west of Bainbridge at the county line and continued east to the Parkman area. The damage was most concentrated in the Bainbridge area. Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted and many utility poles were damaged. Many homes lost roofing or siding and several others were damaged by fallen trees. There were reports of road closures because of fallen trees and lines. A tower at the Auburn Township Fire Department was toppled by the strong winds. Just to the east in Troy Township, a moving vehicle was struck by a falling tree trapping the occupant. No serious injuries were reported. Power outages were widespread and in some cases took several days to be restored. Some of the school districts in Geauga County closed on November 6th because of power outages.

Thunderstorm downburst winds estimated to be up to 80 mph downed dozens of trees, utility poles and large limbs across the northern third to half of Trumbull County. The damage was most concentrated in the West Farmington and Bloomfield areas. Two large buildings were leveled near West Farmington with roofing debris found over a third of a mile away. Other homes and buildings in northern Trumbull County sustained damage, mainly from lost roofing or siding. Widespread power outages were reported across northern Trumbull County. It took a couple of days for power to be fully restored.

Thunderstorm winds downed a couple trees near Lake Milton.

Thunderstorm downbursts winds estimated to be at least 70 mph leveled two barns on Cream Ridge and a third on Creek Road just north of Ford Road. Trees in the area were also downed. The parent thunderstorms responsible for this damage also produced the EF2 tornado at Williamsfield.

An EF0 tornado touched downed in a field in rural Wayne Township near the southern border of Ashtabula County. The initial touchdown occurred along Hayes Road about half way between U.S. Route 322 and the county line. A few trees were downed in the area. The tornado continued east northeast across mainly farm land while quickly intensifying to EF1 intensity. The tornado eventually reached the Williamsfield area and crossed State Route 7 just south of its intersection with U.S. Route 322. It then intensified to EF2 strength and roughly followed U.S. 322 for close to two miles. The tornado then took a turn to the northeast as it crossed Simons South Road and lifted just as it reached the Pennsylvania state line. The worst damage was observed along U.S. 322 east of State Route 7. Around 20 properties were affected by the tornado. At least four homes were destroyed with eight more sustaining major damage. The other homes along the damage path sustained lesser amounts of damage. The four destroyed homes were all within a third of mile from each other on U.S. 322. A couple garages along U.S. 322 were also leveled and tree damage was extensive. Debris was observed scattered in fields across the area. The damage path was over six and a half miles in length and up to 200 yards in width. It took several days for power to be restored in the Williamsfield area. No injuries were reported.

A thunderstorm downburst with winds estimated to be as much as 95 mph caused extensive damage in Boardman. A mile long damage path began in the Hitchcock Woods area and stretched across a neighborhood bordered by Glenwood Avenue to the west and Market Street to the east. Around 20 homes were damaged in that neighborhood with the damage most concentrated along Shorehaven Drive. Most of the damage was caused by fallen trees landing on homes. At least one home had a tree penetrate the roof. Other homes had missing siding or roofing material. The damage path continued across Market Street where several business were damaged. An automobile dealership sustained the worst damage. It lost most of its roof and had some cinder block walls collapse. Many trees were knocked down in the area and widespread power outages were reported.