Tornadoes · United States · Ohio · 2023
EF0 tornado, Lafayette to Westminster, Ohio, March 31, 2023
From Lafayette to Westminster, this EF0 tornado ran 0.2 miles across Allen County on March 31, 2023, touching down at 1:04 AM EDT and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $10,000 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
- March 31, 2023
- Touchdown
- 1:04 AM EDT (05:04 UTC)
- Lifted
- 1:05 AM EDT (05:05 UTC)
- On the ground
- 1 minutes
- Path length
- 0.2 miles (0.4 km)
- Path width
- 50 yards (46 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- County
- Allen County
- Touchdown point
- 40.658, -83.990
- Lift-off point
- 40.658, -83.985
- Record number
- 2303312304-01
The damage survey
26 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS ILN, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 105 mph.
- Minor roof damage to two houses. A outbuilding blown over.
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
What the Weather Service recorded
Thunderstorms developing in the evening of March 31 resulted in multiple weather hazards. Trees were downed and property was damaged from thunderstorm wind gusts. In the days that followed, storm damage surveys teams confirmed multiple tornadoes has moved through.
A tornado touched down on McClure Road, south of Ada Rd and|tracked northeast across Fisher Road before weakening. 2 barns as|well as several trees were damaged. Maximum winds were estimated|at 85 mph with a maximum width of 75 yards.
A weak tornado destroyed a grain bin and carried the bin into a|nearby field for about a half mile before dissipating. Maximum|winds were 75 mph with a width of 50 yards.
A tornado briefly touched down, damaging a barn and carrying the|debris to the ENE. Maximum winds were around 75 mph with a width|of 50 yards.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
12 minutes of warning. NWS IWX issued a tornado warning for this county at 04:52 UTC, 12 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 05:15 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 03:12 UTC and running to 05:17 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03:12 UTC | 05:17 UTC | Tornado Watch | IWX |
| 04:03 UTC | 05:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IWX |
| 04:52 UTC | 05:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | IWX |
| 04:58 UTC | 05:13 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IWX |
| 10:00 UTC | 14:44 UTC | Wind Advisory | IWX |
| 14:44 UTC | 20:53 UTC | High Wind Warning | IWX |
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 Enhanced Risk, with a 0.05 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
5.1 hours before the tornado, 137 km from the path. April 1, 2023.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -81650 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 799 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 61 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 35 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 456 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 400 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 3.7 K/km
Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), 12:00Z
6.9 hours after it, 137 km from the path. April 1, 2023.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -79747 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1978 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 119 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 45 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 247 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 191 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.7 K/km
The surface observations
Lima (AOH), 6 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03:05 UTC | 23 | 999.3 | ||||
| 03:10 UTC | 180° 23 kt | 32 | 999 | |||
| 03:15 UTC | 32 | 998.6 | ||||
| 03:20 UTC | 28 | 998.6 | ||||
| 03:25 UTC | 190° 20 kt | 27 | 998.6 | |||
| 03:30 UTC | 180° 22 kt | 30 | 998.3 | |||
| 03:35 UTC | 28 | 998 | ||||
| 03:40 UTC | 180° 20 kt | 24 | 997.6 | |||
| 03:45 UTC | 190° 20 kt | 27 | 997.6 | |||
| 03:50 UTC | 30 | 997.6 | ||||
| 03:53 UTC | 61 | 56 | 180° 21 kt | 38 | 997.6 | |
| 03:55 UTC | 34 | 997.3 | ||||
| 04:00 UTC | 32 | 997.3 | ||||
| 04:05 UTC | 31 | 997.3 | ||||
| 04:10 UTC | 180° 20 kt | 28 | 997 | |||
| 04:10 UTC | 62 | 56 | 190° 20 kt | 36 | 997 | |
| 04:15 UTC | 32 | 997 | ||||
| 04:20 UTC | 29 | 996.6 | ||||
| 04:25 UTC | 21 kt | 32 | 996.6 | |||
| 04:30 UTC | 33 | 996.3 | ||||
| 04:35 UTC | 31 | 996.3 | ||||
| 04:40 UTC | 29 | 996.3 | ||||
| 04:45 UTC | 996.3 | |||||
| 04:48 UTC | 62.6 | 57.2 | 190° 21 kt | 36 | 995.6 | |
| 04:50 UTC | 34 | 995.9 | ||||
| 04:53 UTC | 62 | 57 | 200° 25 kt | 37 | 996.3 | |
| 04:55 UTC | 35 | -RA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 138 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 05:06 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Ene Ohio City | Van Wert, OH | SEMI BLOWN OVER. |
| 04:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nnw Van Wert | Van Wert, OH | SEMI BLOWN OVER. |
| 04:45 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 2 N Osgood | Mercer, OH | 80 MPH EF0 TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR MINSTER OH. |
| 04:45 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 5 Nnw St. Marys | Auglaize, OH | 85 MPH EF0 TORNADO CONFIRMED NORTH OF ST MARYS OH. |
| 04:46 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 N Osgood | Mercer, OH | REPORT OF DAMAGE TO MULTIPLE BARNS, DEBRIS IN FIELD. TIME EST FROM RADAR. |
| 04:49 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 N St. Marys | Auglaize, OH | ROOF DAMAGE, TREES DOWN, GRAIN BIN IN YARD FROM A MILE AWAY. POSSIBLE TORNADO. |
| 04:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Nnw St. Marys | Auglaize, OH | MULTIPLE POWER POLES AND TREES DOWN. BARN COLLAPSED. |
| 04:54 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 6 N Wapakoneta | Auglaize, OH | ROOF DAMAGE, TREE DAMAGE, AND BARN DAMAGE. |
| 04:54 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 3 Sw Wapakoneta | Auglaize, OH | *** 7 INJ *** A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST SOUTHWEST OF WAPAKONETA AND TRAVELED NORTHEAST BEFORE DISSIPATING NEAR THE AUGLAIZE/ALLEN COUNTY LINE. MAXIMUM WINDS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE 110 MPH/EF1 INTENSITY NEAR THE INTERSECT |
| 04:55 UTC | TSTM WND GST 65 | 3 Wnw Gilboa | Putnam, OH | |
| 04:55 UTC | TSTM WND GST 67 | 3 Ene Ottawa | Putnam, OH | DELAYED REPORT. |
| 05:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 E Wapakoneta | Auglaize, OH | SEVERAL GRAIN BINS TORN DOWN, MEDIUM SIZED BRICK BUILDING PARTIALLY TORN DOWN. |
| 05:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Pandora | Putnam, OH | THREE TREES DOWNED ALONG WITH A FEW POWERLINES. |
| 05:02 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 E Rousculp | Allen, OH | SOME LARGE TREE BRANCHES DOWN AND SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO A BARN. |
| 05:02 UTC | TORNADO | 2 W Lafayette | Allen, OH | EF0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ON MCCLURE ROAD, SOUTH OF ADA RD AND TRACKED NORTHEAST ACROSS FISHER ROAD BEFORE WEAKENING. 2 BARNS AS WELL AS SEVERAL TREES WERE DAMAGED. MAXIMUM WINDS ESTIMATED AT 85 MPH AND A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF |
| 05:03 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Ssw Westminster | Allen, OH | EF0 TORNADO DESTROYED A GRAIN BIN AND CARRIED THE BIN INTO A NEARBY FIELD FOR ABOUT A HALF MILE BEFORE DISSIPATING. MAXIMUM WINDS WERE 75 MPH WITH A WIDTH OF 50 YARDS. TREES ON THE PROPERTY WERE ALSO DAMAGED BY INFLOW WI |
| 05:04 UTC | TSTM WND GST 47 | Kaxv Wapakoneta Apt | Auglaize, OH | |
| 05:04 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Ssw Westminster | Allen, OH | EF0 TORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN, DAMAGING A BARN AND CARRYING THE DEBRIS TO THE ENE. MAXIMUM WINDS AROUND 75 MPH AND A WIDTH OF 50 YARDS. |
| 05:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Ese Rousculp | Allen, OH | SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO A SHED AND A CARPORT LIFTED OFF GROUND. |
| 05:07 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Sw Westminster | Allen, OH | LARGE TREE BRANCHES DOWNED. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 05:09 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Ene Ada | Hardin, OH | LARGE TREE DOWN. TIME FROM RADAR |
| 05:09 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 S Westminster | Allen, OH | DAMAGE TO HOG BARN ALONG WITH A FEW POWER LINES DOWN. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 05:10 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Ssw Ada | Hardin, OH | TREE DOWN. TIME FROM RADAR |
| 05:10 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Alger | Hardin, OH | A FEW TREES WERE DOWNED. |
| 05:20 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Findlay | Hancock, OH | HANCOCK COUNTY SHERIFF DISPATCH REPORTS MULTIPLE TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. |
| 05:35 UTC | TSTM WND GST 46 | Kedj Bellefontaine Apt | Logan, OH | |
| 05:37 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 N North Lewisburg | Logan, OH | MULTIPLE STRUCTURES WITH DAMAGE ON SITE. |
| 05:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Ne La Rue | Marion, OH | MARION COUNTY SHERIFFS DISPATCH REPORTS POWER LINE DOWN NEAR LA RUE, OH. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2023 tornado in OhioEvery tornado in Ohio since 1950Warnings in force in Ohio nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of March 31, 2023
126 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 31 | 2:18 PM CDT | EF3 | Little Rock tornado, AR | 34.2 | 800 | 54 | $90 million | |
| March 31 | 2:37 PM CDT | Unrated | Tazewell, IL | 0.3 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 3:15 PM CDT | EF1 | Tazewell, IL | 0.9 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 3:23 PM CDT | Unrated | Woodford, IL | 0.6 | 20 | |||
| March 31 | 3:36 PM CDT | EF3 | Wapello, IA | 26.1 | 1,000 | $2.0 million | ||
| March 31 | 3:45 PM CDT | EF1 | Prairie, AR | 1.1 | 100 | |||
| March 31 | 3:52 PM CDT | Unrated | Poweshiek, IA | 3.6 | 60 | |||
| March 31 | 4:05 PM CDT | Unrated | Livingston, IL | 0.0 | 15 | |||
| March 31 | 4:10 PM CDT | EF4 | Keota–Wellman tornado, IA | 19.9 | 700 | 3 | ||
| March 31 | 4:22 PM CDT | EF1 | Grundy, IA | 3.5 | 80 | $50,000 | ||
| March 31 | 4:22 PM CDT | EF1 | Grundy, IA | 4.1 | 80 | $50,000 | ||
| March 31 | 4:30 PM CDT | EF3 | Wynne–Parkin tornado, Arkansas and Tennessee | 72.5 | 1,600 | 4 | 26 | $151 million |
| March 31 | 4:36 PM CDT | EF2 | Benton, IA | 1.7 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 4:37 PM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, IA | 6.1 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 4:46 PM CDT | EF2 | Johnson, IA | 16.9 | 75 | 2 | ||
| March 31 | 4:47 PM CDT | EF2 | Benton, IA | 4.9 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 4:49 PM CDT | EF2 | Stone, AR | 6.8 | 125 | |||
| March 31 | 4:51 PM CDT | Unrated | Benton, IA | 1.4 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 4:53 PM CDT | EF2 | Johnson, IA | 14.7 | 100 | |||
| March 31 | 5:03 PM CDT | Unrated | Buchanan, IA | 1.7 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 5:06 PM CDT | EF2 | Johnson, IA | 9.0 | 75 | |||
| March 31 | 5:06 PM CDT | EF1 | Cedar, IA | 8.3 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 5:14 PM CDT | EF2 | Cedar, IA | 16.4 | 250 | |||
| March 31 | 5:15 PM CDT | Unrated | Scott, IL | 0.5 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 5:17 PM CDT | EF1 | Cedar, IA | 5.2 | 100 | |||
| March 31 | 5:18 PM CDT | EF2 | Cedar, IA | 19.6 | 200 | 2 | ||
| March 31 | 5:20 PM CDT | EF1 | Delaware, IA | 4.1 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 5:27 PM CDT | Unrated | Morgan, IL | 0.7 | 10 | |||
| March 31 | 5:32 PM CDT | EF1 | Delaware, IA | 11.1 | 90 | |||
| March 31 | 5:35 PM CDT | EF0 | Morgan, IL | 1.1 | 30 | |||
| March 31 | 5:41 PM CDT | EF1 | Jones, IA | 1.4 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 5:41 PM CDT | EF2 | Des Moines, IA | 0.9 | 150 | |||
| March 31 | 5:48 PM CDT | EF3 | Covington tornado, TN | 39.2 | 2,000 | 1 | 28 | $80 million |
| March 31 | 5:50 PM CDT | EF2 | Clinton, IA | 18.0 | 350 | 1 | ||
| March 31 | 5:58 PM CDT | EF1 | Jackson, IA | 1.2 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 6:09 PM CDT | EF0 | Jackson, IA | 0.2 | 15 | |||
| March 31 | 6:12 PM CDT | EF2 | Sangamon, IL | 5.4 | 400 | |||
| March 31 | 6:16 PM CDT | EF1 | Jackson, IA to IL | 1.9 | 100 | 3 | ||
| March 31 | 6:18 PM CDT | EF2 | Sangamon, IL | 21.0 | 200 | |||
| March 31 | 6:24 PM CDT | EF2 | Henry, IL | 3.5 | 300 | |||
| March 31 | 6:33 PM CDT | EF2 | Henry, IL | 3.0 | 200 | |||
| March 31 | 6:36 PM CDT | EF2 | Henry, IL | 9.3 | 440 | |||
| March 31 | 6:37 PM CDT | EF2 | Henry, IL | 6.8 | 650 | |||
| March 31 | 6:39 PM CDT | EF1 | Carroll, IL | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| March 31 | 6:47 PM CDT | EF0 | Macoupin, IL | 6.3 | 150 | $25,000 | ||
| March 31 | 6:48 PM CDT | EF1 | Whiteside, IL | 13.9 | 150 | |||
| March 31 | 6:48 PM CDT | EF1 | Iowa, WI | 1.1 | 75 | $300,000 | ||
| March 31 | 6:50 PM CDT | EF1 | Lafayette, WI | 5.5 | 75 | $1.0 million | ||
| March 31 | 6:50 PM CDT | EF1 | Carroll, IL | 11.0 | 200 | |||
| March 31 | 6:55 PM CDT | EF1 | Lafayette, WI | 6.6 | 75 | $600,000 | ||
| March 31 | 7:03 PM CDT | Unrated | Phillips, AR | 2.8 | 100 | |||
| March 31 | 7:06 PM CDT | EF0 | Christian, IL | 4.1 | 20 | |||
| March 31 | 7:08 PM CDT | EF2 | Lee, IL | 9.3 | 350 | |||
| March 31 | 7:13 PM CDT | EF1 | Lee, IL | 7.8 | 75 | |||
| March 31 | 7:13 PM CDT | EF1 | Christian, IL | 1.7 | 30 | |||
| March 31 | 7:16 PM CDT | EF0 | Green, WI | 3.0 | 75 | $400,000 | ||
| March 31 | 7:20 PM CDT | EF1 | Green, WI | 10.2 | 50 | $600,000 | ||
| March 31 | 7:24 PM CDT | EF1 | Ogle, IL | 27.5 | 600 | 1 | 40 | |
| March 31 | 7:26 PM CDT | EF0 | Green, WI | 5.8 | 75 | $400,000 | ||
| March 31 | 7:31 PM CDT | EF1 | Winnebago, IL | 5.8 | 300 |
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.