Tornadoes · United States · Ohio · 2021
EF0 tornado, New Holland, Ohio, July 29, 2021
This EF0 tornado ran 0.9 miles across Pickaway County on July 29, 2021, touching down at 5:20 PM EDT and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $100,000 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.
EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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
- July 29, 2021
- Touchdown
- 5:20 PM EDT (21:20 UTC)
- Lifted
- 5:22 PM EDT (21:22 UTC)
- On the ground
- 2 minutes
- Path length
- 0.9 miles (1.4 km)
- Path width
- 50 yards (46 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $100,000
- County
- Pickaway County
- Touchdown point
- 39.578, -83.237
- Lift-off point
- 39.567, -83.229
- Record number
- 2107291520-02
What the Weather Service recorded
Showers and thunderstorms affected the Ohio Valley during the afternoon and evening as a cold front moved through the region.
Based on aerial footage and photos, the tornado appeared to have initially touched down in a field just northwest of Dick Road. It then crossed Dick Road and produced damage on a farm. Some roof damage was noted on a single story residence on Dick Road, while a large outbuilding was also destroyed. Aerial footage confirmed evidence of the tornado in the grass and field between Dick Road and Mouser Road. Debris from the outbuilding was also scattered throughout the field between Dick Road and Mouser Road. Additional damage occurred on a property on Mouser Road, where two barns were completely destroyed. The tornado is believed to have then lifted shortly after it destroyed the barns. While the tornado ended before reaching U.S. 22, debris from the destroyed Mouser Road barns was thrown about one quarter of a mile and was noted on the other side of U.S. 22.||Based on the evaluation of the damage, winds associated with this brief tornado were around 85 mph.
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 21:20 UTC, 0 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 21:45 UTC.
The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 19:16 UTC and running to 23:54 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19:13 UTC | 20:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILN |
| 19:16 UTC | 23:54 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | ILN |
| 20:43 UTC | 21:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILN |
| 21:00 UTC | 21:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILN |
| 21:01 UTC | 22:26 UTC | Flood Advisory | ILN |
| 21:20 UTC | 21:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | ILN |
| 22:34 UTC | 01:45 UTC | Flood Advisory | ILN |
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 19:53 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
9.3 hours before the tornado, 51 km from the path. July 29, 2021.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1163 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -29 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 249 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 775 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 24 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 22 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 108 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 109 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 2.2
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 3.8 K/km
Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), 00:00Z
2.7 hours after it, 51 km from the path. July 30, 2021.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2113 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -24 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 1336 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 691 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 38 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 26 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 137 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 139 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.7
- Supercell composite
- 9.2
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.1 K/km
The surface observations
Washington Court House (I23), 16 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:35 UTC | 86 | 73.4 | 230° 13 kt | 17 | 1012.5 | |
| 19:55 UTC | 86 | 73.4 | 220° 12 kt | 17 | 1012.2 | |
| 20:15 UTC | 86 | 73.4 | 230° 12 kt | 17 | 1012.5 | |
| 20:35 UTC | 84.2 | 71.6 | 220° 12 kt | 16 | 1011.9 | |
| 20:55 UTC | 82.4 | 69.8 | 220° 12 kt | 20 | 1011.9 | |
| 21:15 UTC | 80.6 | 71.6 | 360° 14 kt | 20 | 1013.2 | |
| 21:35 UTC | 69.8 | 68 | 360° 10 kt | 28 | 1012.5 |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 53 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:17 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) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:02 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 N Downtown Columbus | Franklin, OH | ONE HEALTHY TREE DOWNED ON SUMMIT STREET. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 19:09 UTC | HAIL 1 | 2 N Downtown Columbus | Franklin, OH | MULTIPLE REPORTS OF QUARTER SIZED HAI NEAR SHORT NORTH AND DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS. |
| 19:13 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Downtown Columbus | Franklin, OH | WIRES REPORTED DOWN AND LARGE TREE BRANCHES REPORTED DOWN ACROSS THE CITY. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 19:42 UTC | HAIL 1 | 3 Sw Pickerington | Franklin, OH | |
| 20:01 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nw Mount Sterling | Madison, OH | MULTIPLE TREES DOWNED ON DYER RD IN MT. STERLING. GARAGE DOOR WAS ALSO BLOWN IN AND DAMAGED. |
| 20:38 UTC | HEAVY RAIN 1.05 | 2 Ese Downtown Columbus | Franklin, OH | STREET FLOODING REPORTED. WATER AT A DEPTH OF A FEW INCHES. |
| 20:59 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Mount Sterling | Madison, OH | MULTIPLE REPORTS OF TREES AND POWER LINES REPORTED DOWN. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 21:05 UTC | HEAVY RAIN 0.98 | 1 S Canal Winchester | Franklin, OH | OCCURRED IN 25 MINUTES. |
| 21:17 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Ene Bloomingburg | Fayette, OH | MULTIPLE TREES DOWN ON US-62N. TIME EST FROM RADAR. |
| 21:20 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 2 Ne New Holland | Pickaway, OH | BRIEF EF0 TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR NEW HOLLAND IN PICKAWAY COUNTY OHIO. |
| 21:21 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 E Washington Court Ho | Fayette, OH | SEVERAL LARGE TREE LIMBS SNAPPED ALONG US ROUTE 22. |
| 21:22 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 W New Holland | Fayette, OH | ONE TREE DOWNED ALONG US ROUTE 22. |
| 21:42 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Ene New Holland | Pickaway, OH | A BARN IS DESTROYED AND A NUMBER OF TREES ARE DOWN ACROSS THE VILLAGE. |
| 21:46 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Cedarville | Greene, OH | TREE DOWN |
| 21:48 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Se Cedarville | Greene, OH | LARGE TREE LIMB DOWN ON GARAGE |
| 21:49 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Ene Cedarville | Greene, OH | SOME POWER LINES REPORTED DOWN NEAR U.S. 42 AND JAMES BARBER ROAD. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 22:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 N Jamestown | Greene, OH | TREES SNAPPED AND A TREE UPROOTED. |
| 22:07 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Ene Jamestown | Greene, OH | SIDING DAMAGE TO HOUSE, 40-FOOT CAMPER BLOWN OVER |
| 22:08 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 1 Sw Jamestown | Greene, OH | WAYNESVILLE JAMESTOWN RD |
| 22:14 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Ene Waverly | Pike, OH | TREES AND POWER LINES REPORTED DOWN. |
| 22:37 UTC | LIGHTNING | 5 Wnw Chillicothe | Ross, OH | REPORT OF LIGHTNING STRIKING A HOUSE. DAMAGE AMOUNT UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. |
| 22:47 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Ese Bowersville | Greene, OH | NUMEROUS TREES DOWNED NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF SMITH ROAD AND ZIMMERMAN ROAD. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 23:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Sse Wilmington | Clinton, OH | A TREE WAS REPORTED DOWN NEAR DAVIDS DRIVE AND OH-134. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 23:30 UTC | FLOOD | Sabina | Clinton, OH | ONE TO ONE AND A HALF FOOT DEEP WATER OVER ROUTE 22. |
| 00:00 UTC | FLOOD | 4 Wsw Idaho | Pike, OH | MULTIPLE LOCATIONS WITH WATER OVER ROADS ACROSS THE COUNTY, INCLUDING BEAVERS RIDGE ROAD WEST-SOUTHWEST OF IDAHO, AS WELL AS STATE ROUTE 124. |
| 00:00 UTC | HEAVY RAIN 3.08 | Idaho | Pike, OH | TIME ESTIMATED. |
| 00:03 UTC | FLOOD | 2 Ene Bourneville | Ross, OH | HIGH WATER SIGNS PLACED ON U.S. 50 DUE TO FLOODED ROADWAY. |
| 00:03 UTC | FLOOD | Frankfort | Ross, OH | CULVERT FLOODED AND ONE LANE REPORTED CLOSED. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2021 tornado in OhioEvery tornado in Ohio since 1950Warnings in force in Ohio nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of July 29, 2021
36 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 29 | 1:05 AM CDT | EF0 | Jefferson, WI | 6.0 | 100 | |||
| July 29 | 1:07 AM CDT | EF0 | Jefferson, WI | 3.6 | 25 | |||
| July 29 | 1:07 AM CDT | EF1 | Jefferson, WI | 7.7 | 200 | |||
| July 29 | 1:23 AM CDT | EF1 | Jefferson, WI | 4.7 | 150 | |||
| July 29 | 1:26 AM CDT | EF1 | Waukesha, WI | 1.0 | 75 | |||
| July 29 | 1:32 AM CDT | EF0 | Waukesha, WI | 2.4 | 50 | |||
| July 29 | 1:38 AM CDT | EF1 | Waukesha, WI | 0.9 | 95 | |||
| July 29 | 12:40 PM EDT | EF0 | Crawford, PA | 0.6 | 75 | |||
| July 29 | 12:55 PM EDT | EF0 | Venango, PA | 0.3 | 15 | $15,000 | ||
| July 29 | 1:54 PM EDT | EF1 | Westmoreland, PA | 4.9 | 100 | $275,000 | ||
| July 29 | 2:25 PM EDT | EF1 | Somerset, PA | 0.2 | 65 | |||
| July 29 | 4:04 PM EDT | EF1 | Lehigh, PA | 2.9 | 90 | |||
| July 29 | 4:25 PM EDT | EF1 | Lehigh, PA | 1.1 | 75 | |||
| July 29 | 4:50 PM EDT | EF2 | Harrison, OH | 2.7 | 220 | $200,000 | ||
| July 29 | 4:59 PM EDT | EF2 | Carroll, OH | 6.2 | 150 | $500,000 | ||
| July 29 | 5:07 PM EDT | EF0 | Howard, MD | 0.3 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| July 29 | 5:15 PM EDT | EF1 | Jefferson, OH | 2.2 | 300 | $250,000 | ||
| July 29 | 5:16 PM EDT | EF0 | Washington, OH | 0.1 | 55 | $500 | ||
| July 29 | 5:20 PM EDT | EF0 | Indiana, PA | 0.1 | 10 | $50,000 | ||
| July 29 | 5:34 PM EDT | EF0 | Lebanon, PA | 0.7 | 60 | |||
| July 29 | 5:40 PM EDT | EF1 | Bucks, PA | 2.7 | 70 | |||
| July 29 | 5:45 PM EDT | EF1 | Jefferson, OH | 2.3 | 300 | $250,000 | ||
| July 29 | 5:54 PM EDT | EF0 | Essex, NJ | 0.3 | 50 | $330,000 | ||
| July 29 | 4:59 PM CDT | EF2 | Bucks, PA to NJ | 6.3 | 400 | |||
| July 29 | 6:00 PM EDT | EF1 | Greene, PA | 2.8 | 200 | $100,000 | ||
| July 29 | 6:10 PM EDT | EF0 | Cambria, PA | 0.1 | 15 | |||
| July 29 | 5:40 PM CDT | EF0 | Cumberland, IL | 0.5 | 50 | |||
| July 29 | 6:56 PM EDT | EF1 | Mercer, NJ | 1.6 | 100 | |||
| July 29 | 7:04 PM EDT | EF3 | Bensalem tornado, PA | 3.4 | 530 | |||
| July 29 | 7:07 PM EDT | EF0 | Philadelphia, PA | 0.4 | 40 | |||
| July 29 | 7:58 PM EDT | EF1 | Shelby, IN | 2.5 | 50 | $43,000 | ||
| July 29 | 8:04 PM EDT | EF0 | Ocean, NJ | 0.8 | 80 | |||
| July 29 | 8:14 PM EDT | EF1 | Shelby, IN | 0.7 | 50 | $15,000 | ||
| July 29 | 7:20 PM CDT | EF1 | Crawford, IL | 0.4 | 75 | |||
| July 29 | 8:42 PM EDT | EF1 | Ocean, NJ | 6.5 | 250 | |||
| July 29 | 9:03 PM EDT | EF2 | Ocean, NJ | 4.2 | 75 | 8 |
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.