Tornadoes · United States · Ohio

Tornadoes in Franklin County, Ohio

44 tornadoes have crossed Franklin County since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 1st of the 88 counties in Ohio with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 18. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

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

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

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

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    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. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

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

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

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

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    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.

Now

Tornadoes
44
Deaths
0
Injuries
18
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, May 10, 1973

The strongest

  1. F3, Champaign, Clark, Madison and Franklin counties, OhioMay 10, 1973F3, 89.6 mi (144 km)
  2. F3, Franklin County, OhioFebruary 22, 1971F3, 6.8 mi (11 km)
  3. F2, Franklin and Delaware counties, OhioMay 8, 1973F2, 17.3 mi (28 km)
  4. EF2, Franklin and Licking counties, OhioFebruary 28, 2024EF2, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  5. F2, Franklin County, OhioApril 3, 1974F2, 5.1 mi (8 km)
  6. F2, Franklin County, OhioMay 30, 1973F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  7. F2, Franklin County, OhioApril 2, 1970F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  8. F2, Franklin County, OhioOctober 11, 2006F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  9. F2, Franklin County, OhioMay 25, 1973F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Franklin County. Each year links to every tornado in Ohio that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202632EF1
20251EF0
20245EF2
20182EF1
20161EF0
20131EF0
20112EF1
20102EF0
20081EF0
20063F2
19971F0
19931F0
19921F0
19911F0
19861F1
19841F1
19811F0
19752F1
19741F2
197359F3
197117F3
19701F2
19631F0
19611F0
19591F1
19581F1
19542F1

Every tornado that crossed Franklin County

44 tornadoes, newest first. The 3 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 11, 202610:05 AM EDTEF0Franklin2.71502
August 11, 202610:05 AM EDTEF1Franklin1.8100
August 11, 202610:08 AM EDTEF1Franklin1.3150
March 30, 202510:10 PM EDTEF0Franklin2.6250$85,000
February 28, 20245:49 AM ESTEF2Franklin14.0300$500,000
February 28, 20245:48 AM ESTEF0Franklin5.775$60,000
February 28, 20245:28 AM ESTEF0Franklin0.560$25,000
February 28, 20245:26 AM ESTEF1Franklin3.8200$100,000
February 28, 20245:14 AM ESTEF1Madison12.3250$300,000
September 26, 20185:53 AM EDTEF1Franklin3.7150$750,000
April 3, 20185:37 PM EDTEF1Franklin2.675$120,000
June 4, 20166:06 PM EDTEF0Franklin0.3135$100,000
October 31, 201312:40 AM EDTEF0Franklin0.350$300,000
April 20, 20112:26 AM EDTEF0Franklin0.150$30,000
April 20, 20112:22 AM EDTEF1Franklin2.5100$35,000
October 26, 20102:05 PM EDTEF0Franklin0.2100$40,000
September 22, 20104:58 PM EDTEF0Franklin0.150
May 11, 20081:10 PM EDTEF0Madison1.820$10,000
October 11, 20066:49 PM EDTF2Franklin0.5150$50 million
August 28, 20067:28 PM EDTF0Franklin0.110$1,000
August 28, 20067:10 PM EDTF0Franklin0.110$1,000
July 2, 19976:30 PM EDTF0Franklin0.2100$30,000
July 1, 19939:30 PM EDTF0Franklin0.110$500 to $5,000
August 27, 19924:50 PM EDTF0Franklin1.050$5,000 to $50,000
June 2, 19915:00 PM EDTF0Franklin0.520$5,000 to $50,000
June 10, 19866:30 PM EDTF1Madison15.073$50,000 to $500,000
August 7, 19843:00 PM EDTF1Franklin1.050$50,000 to $500,000
June 13, 19813:30 PM EDTF0Franklin0.5100$500 to $5,000
September 11, 19758:40 PM EDTF1Franklin0.210$5,000 to $50,000
June 17, 19755:45 PM EDTF1Franklin0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19746:05 PM EDTF2Franklin5.190$50,000 to $500,000
July 26, 19735:00 PM EDTF1Franklin0.110$50 to $500
May 30, 19732:55 PM EDTF2Franklin2.0171$500,000 to $5 million
May 25, 19737:30 PM EDTF2Franklin0.1133$50,000 to $500,000
May 10, 19736:49 PM EDTF3Champaign89.63008$500 to $5,000
May 8, 19733:10 PM EDTF2Franklin17.367$50,000 to $500,000
February 22, 19714:55 PM ESTF3Franklin6.81007$500,000 to $5 million
April 2, 19708:06 AM ESTF2Franklin2.0440$50,000 to $500,000
September 12, 19632:45 PM GMT-4F0Franklin0.110$500 to $5,000
July 28, 196112:30 AM GMT-4F0Franklin1.0500$5,000 to $50,000
July 5, 19595:20 PM GMT-4F1Franklin0.110$500 to $5,000
April 28, 19587:45 AM GMT-4F1Franklin0.110$5,000 to $50,000
October 11, 19546:30 PM GMT-5F1Franklin0.167$500 to $5,000
June 26, 19541:15 PM GMT-4F0Franklin0.110$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Franklin CountyThe forecast for Franklin CountyThe live radar over Franklin CountyEvery county in Ohio

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.