Tornadoes · United States · Ohio · 2020

EF0 tornado, Newtonsville to Fayetteville Jj Arpt, Ohio, April 8, 2020

From Newtonsville to Fayetteville Jj Arpt, this EF0 tornado ran 8.8 miles across Clermont and Brown counties on April 8, 2020, touching down at 10:50 PM EDT and reaching 200 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $40,000 of property damage.

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
April 8, 2020
Touchdown
10:50 PM EDT (02:50 UTC)
Lifted
11:00 PM EDT (03:00 UTC)
On the ground
10 minutes
Path length
8.8 miles (14.2 km)
Path width
200 yards (183 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$40,000
Counties
Clermont and Brown counties
Touchdown point
39.176, -84.105
Lift-off point
39.201, -83.947
Record number
2004082050-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Thunderstorms developed ahead of an advancing cold front which moved east across the region.

The tornado caused tree and structural damage near Newtonsville, with wind speeds of about 70 MPH. A large barn was flattened in the 3100 block of Park Road, near the intersection of OH-131 and OH-133. Also, a wooden plank was driven into the side of a structure. The tornado moved into Brown County at 21:56 EST, ending near Lake Lorelei at 22:00 EST.

The tornado caused tree damage on Garrison Spurling Road and roof damage to homes on Edenton Pleasant Plain Road.

The tornado caused tree damage along its path, with some structural damage noted to a property on State Route 131.

The tornado originally touched down in Clermont County at 21:50 EST and caused damage near Newtonsville. At 21:56 EST, the tornado moved into Brown County and later produced tree and structural damage near Lake Lorelei, with wind speeds of about 80 MPH.

The tornado originally touched down in far southwestern Clinton County just west of SR-123 at 22:01 EST. It moved east southeast across SR-123 into Brown County at 23:02, lifting just after the county line. As it moved across OH-123 numerous trees were knocked down and pole barns were damaged.

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

The warnings

24 minutes of warning. NWS ILN issued a tornado warning for this county at 02:26 UTC, 24 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 03:00 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 23:25 UTC and running to 03:41 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
23:25 UTC03:41 UTCTornado WatchILN
02:02 UTC02:26 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningILN
02:15 UTC03:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningILN
02:26 UTC03:00 UTCTornado WarningILN
02:42 UTC03:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningILN
02:45 UTC03:15 UTCTornado WarningILN
02:48 UTC03:10 UTCTornado WarningILN
02:57 UTC03:06 UTCTornado WarningILN
03:03 UTC03:13 UTCTornado 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 01:04 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), 00:00Z

2.8 hours before the tornado, 33 km from the path. April 9, 2020.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 2020-04-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -94574, lifted condensation level 2413 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2020-04-09The 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 128 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 66 knots.1939587897117Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-94574 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2413 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
66 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
128 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
295 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
7.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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

9.2 hours after it, 33 km from the path. April 9, 2020.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 12:00Z on 2020-04-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -88104, lifted condensation level 958 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2020-04-09The 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 0 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 85 knots.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-88104 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
958 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
85 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
62 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 31 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:48 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
01:59 UTCHAIL 0.755 Ese New RichmondClermont, OH
02:03 UTCHAIL 0.75Liberty TownshipButler, OH
02:04 UTCHAIL 0.75New RichmondClermont, OH
02:04 UTCHAIL 11 Ese BethelClermont, OH
02:04 UTCHAIL 1.253 Wnw MasonButler, OHTIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:05 UTCHAIL 1.5N BethelClermont, OHTIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:06 UTCHAIL 1MonroeButler, OH
02:07 UTCHAIL 1.5MasonWarren, OH
02:09 UTCHAIL 1MasonWarren, OHTIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:10 UTCHAIL 0.88MasonWarren, OH
02:11 UTCHAIL 1MasonWarren, OH
02:12 UTCHAIL 1N WilliamsburgClermont, OHTIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:12 UTCHAIL 1.5WilliamsburgClermont, OHNUMEROUS REPORTS/PICTURES FROM WILLIAMSBURG OF HAIL RANGING FROM HALF DOLLAR TO PING PONGS. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:15 UTCHAIL 0.756 Nw TrentonButler, OH
02:15 UTCHAIL 1SpringdaleHamilton, OHTIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:15 UTCHAIL 1.75Mount OrabBrown, OHTIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:18 UTCHAIL 1.5Blue AshHamilton, OHTIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:19 UTCHAIL 1.254 W Blue AshHamilton, OH
02:21 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Wnw FinneytownHamilton, OHTREE DOWNED NEAR NORTGATE MALL. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:22 UTCHAIL 1Blue AshHamilton, OH
02:22 UTCTORNADO 04 Wnw FinneytownHamilton, OHEF0 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN AND NEAR MOUNT HEALTHY IN CENTRAL HAMILTON COUNTY.
02:23 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Wnw FinneytownHamilton, OHMULTIPLE TREES DOWN INTO HOUSE. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR DATA.
02:23 UTCTSTM WND DMGFairfieldButler, OHSHINGLES REMOVED FROM A ROOF. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:25 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Wnw FinneytownHamilton, OHTREES DOWNED, STOREFRONT WINDOW BROKEN ALONG HAMILTON AVE IN MOUNT HEALTHY. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:25 UTCHAIL 1BufordHighland, OHTIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR
02:25 UTCHAIL 1HamiltonButler, OH
02:25 UTCHAIL 1LovelandHamilton, OH
02:25 UTCHAIL 1MontgomeryHamilton, OH
02:26 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 W FinneytownHamilton, OHLARGE TREE DOWNED ALONG SHAMROCK AVE IN NORTH COLLEGE HILL. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:26 UTCTSTM WND DMGColerain TownshipHamilton, OHNUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND PEA-SIZED HAIL
02:27 UTCHAIL 1.75Mount OrabBrown, OHPHOTO POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA
02:28 UTCHAIL 0.751 Nw WinchesterAdams, OH
02:29 UTCTSTM WND GST 54Khao Hamilton AptButler, OH
02:31 UTCHAIL 1.75SardiniaBrown, OHTIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:31 UTCHAIL 23 Nnw LovelandWarren, OH
02:32 UTCTSTM WND DMG6 N CovingtonHamilton, OHTREE DOWNED ALONG VINE STREET. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:32 UTCTSTM WND DMG6 Se Blue AshHamilton, OHSEVERAL LARGE TREES DOWN ON ALBERLY LANE. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
02:32 UTCTSTM WND DMGSilvertonHamilton, OHTWO LARGE TREES DOWN, INCLUDING ONE ONTO HOUSE. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR DATA.
02:32 UTCHAIL 1LandenWarren, OH
02:33 UTCTSTM WND DMGAmberleyHamilton, OHLARGE TREE DOWNED. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2020 tornado in OhioEvery tornado in Ohio since 1950Warnings in force in Ohio nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 8, 2020

24 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 88:22 PM EDTEF0Lanier, GA4.4300$100,000
April 88:43 PM EDTEF1Morgan, IN1.035$500,000
April 87:47 PM CDTEF0Craighead, AR0.930$8,000
April 88:05 PM CDTEF2Poinsett, AR9.3752$250,000
April 89:59 PM EDTEF1Ripley, IN2.5450$50,000
April 810:06 PM EDTEF0Ripley, IN0.275$20,000
April 810:08 PM EDTEF0Ripley, IN2.6220$50,000
April 810:10 PM EDTEF0Dearborn, IN1.0150$40,000
April 810:11 PM EDTEF0Ohio, IN0.160$20,000
April 810:13 PM EDTEF0Ohio, IN5.3200$20,000
April 810:13 PM EDTEF0Ohio, IN5.7450$50,000
April 810:22 PM EDTEF0Hamilton, OH6.2300$100,000
April 810:27 PM EDTEF0Gallatin, KY0.550$30,000
April 810:37 PM EDTEF0Hamilton, OH3.3350$45,000
April 810:40 PM EDTEF1Grant, KY2.4500$35,000
April 810:42 PM EDTEF0Kenton, KY1.2100$20,000
April 810:47 PM EDTEF1Grant, KY19.2400$45,000
April 810:53 PM EDTEF0Clermont, OH0.875$25,000
April 810:56 PM EDTEF0Brown, OH2.450$15,000
April 811:01 PM EDTEF0Clinton, OH0.950$5,000
April 811:16 PM EDTEF0Robertson, KY1.050$25,000
April 811:20 PM EDTEF1Nelson, KY4.045$200,000
April 811:25 PM EDTEF0Mason, KY1.250$15,000
April 812:33 AM EDTEF1Vinton, OH0.3125$200,000

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.