Tornadoes · United States · Ohio · 2009

EF0 tornado, Drinkle, Ohio, June 2, 2009

This EF0 tornado ran 0.0 miles across Fairfield County on June 2, 2009, touching down at 5:36 PM EDT and reaching 10 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. EF3136 to 165 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. EF5over 200 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
EF0
Date
June 2, 2009
Touchdown
5:36 PM EDT (21:36 UTC)
Lifted
5:37 PM EDT (21:37 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
0.0 miles (0.0 km)
Path width
10 yards (9 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Crop damage
$1,000
County
Fairfield County
Touchdown point
39.598, -82.710
Lift-off point
39.598, -82.709
Record number
0906021536-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A frontal boundary stalled over the Ohio Valley and combined with an upper level short wave to produce damaging storms across the region.

A convergent path extending about 50 yards was found in a wheat field. No structural damage was reported. Event occurred 3 miles south-southeast of Amanda, Ohio.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

0 minutes of warning. NWS ILN issued a tornado warning for this county at 21:36 UTC, 0 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 22:00 UTC.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 19:32 UTC and running to 03:00 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
19:32 UTC03:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchILN
20:07 UTC21:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningILN
21:20 UTC22:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningILN
21:36 UTC22:00 UTCTornado WarningILN
21:56 UTC22:34 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningILN

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 20:03 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), 12:00Z

9.6 hours before the tornado, 95 km from the path. June 2, 2009.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 12:00Z on 2009-06-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 581 joules per kilogram, CIN -117, lifted condensation level 1261 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 12:00Z on 2009-06-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 56 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 30 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
581 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-117 J/kg
Surface CAPE
506 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1261 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
56 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
82 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.2
0-3 km lapse rate
5.4 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), 00:00Z

2.4 hours after it, 95 km from the path. June 3, 2009.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 2009-06-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1054 joules per kilogram, CIN -68, lifted condensation level 994 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 2009-06-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -12 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 27 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1054 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-68 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1352 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
994 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
58 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.6
0-3 km lapse rate
6.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:35 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
19:58 UTCHAIL 0.889 Sw Grove CityPickaway, OHNEAR MILE MARKER 88 ON I-71 IN PICKAWAY COUNTY.
20:07 UTCHAIL 0.75LancasterFairfield, OH
20:07 UTCHAIL 0.882 Ne CarrollFairfield, OH
20:07 UTCHAIL 0.88E CarrollFairfield, OH
20:18 UTCHAIL 0.75LancasterFairfield, OH
20:45 UTCHAIL 1.25Mount SterlingMadison, OH
20:54 UTCHAIL 0.88ThornvillePerry, OH
20:58 UTCHAIL 0.889 Sw Grove CityPickaway, OHNEAR MILE MARKER 88 ON I-71 IN PICKAWAY COUNTY.
20:58 UTCHAIL 1.25Mount SterlingMadison, OH
21:08 UTCHAIL 1.25Mount SterlingMadison, OH
21:10 UTCHAIL 0.54 S New LexingtonPerry, OHDIME-SIZED HAIL
21:12 UTCHAIL 2Mount SterlingMadison, OH
21:14 UTCHAIL 0.75New LexingtonPerry, OH
21:16 UTCHAIL 1.755 S NewarkLicking, OH
21:16 UTCHAIL 1.758 Sse NewarkLicking, OH
21:26 UTCTSTM WND DMGCirclevillePickaway, OHSEVERAL TREES DOWN AND SHINGLES BLOWN OFF A ROOF.
21:28 UTCHAIL 0.75CirclevillePickaway, OH
21:30 UTCHAIL 1CorningPerry, OHQUARTER SIZE HAIL IN CORNING. DESTROYED GARDEN.
21:31 UTCHAIL 15 E CirclevillePickaway, OH
21:32 UTCHAIL 0.88ChillicotheRoss, OHHALF WAY BETWEEN CHILLICOTHE AND FRANKLIN
21:43 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 W DarbyvillePickaway, OHALONG LONDON RD 3-4 WEST OF DARBYVILLE TREES DOWN BARN DOORS BLOWN IN GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL
21:43 UTCTSTM WND DMGS DerbyPickaway, OH*** 1 INJ *** MAN WAS INJURED WHEN STRAIGHT LINE WINDS TIPPED OVER HIS TRACTOR. 3 BARNS DESTROYED ALONG WITH A HOME DAMAGED.
21:43 UTCHAIL 2S DerbyPickaway, OHHAIL DAMAGED THE VINYL SIDING OF A HOME.
21:45 UTCTORNADO1 Se AmandaFairfield, OHA POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS SIGHTED TOUCHING DOWN IN A WHEAT FIELD IN MADISON TOWNSHIP. TREES AND POWERLINES ARE DOWN ALONG ROUTE 159 IN SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
21:52 UTCTSTM WND DMGAmandaFairfield, OHNUMEROUS POWER LINES AND TREES DOWN ALONG 159 FROM AMANDA TO THE COUNTY LINE.
21:53 UTCTSTM WND DMGS DerbyPickaway, OHA HOME DAMAGED ON LONDON ROAD.
22:01 UTCHAIL 0.88ChillicotheRoss, OH
22:05 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Sw RockbridgeHocking, OHTREES AND POWERLINES DOWN REPORTED DOWN NEAR STARNER ROAD IN GOOD HOPE TOWNSHIP.
22:05 UTCTSTM WND DMG5 Ssw RockbridgeHocking, OHTREES DOWN BLOCKING ROADS ON STATE ROUTES 180, 374, AND 678 IN HOCKING COUNTY.
22:05 UTCHAIL 1RockbridgeHocking, OH
22:17 UTCTSTM WND DMGSouth BloomingvilleHocking, OHTREES AND WIRES DOWN
22:25 UTCTSTM WND DMGCreolaVinton, OHSEVERAL TREES DOWN WITH POWER OUTAGES
22:30 UTCTSTM WND DMGZaleskiVinton, OHTREES DOWN ALONG COUNTY RT. 677

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2009 tornado in OhioEvery tornado in Ohio since 1950Warnings in force in Ohio nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 2, 2009

6 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 22:15 PM CDTEF0Vermilion Parish, LA0.125
June 22:39 PM CDTEF0Ford, KS0.350
June 23:45 PM CDTEF0Ford, KS0.675
June 24:25 PM CDTEF0Brown, IL3.050
June 24:40 PM CDTEF0Terry, TX0.025
June 24:43 PM CDTEF0Fisher, TX0.1250

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.