Tornadoes · United States · Ohio

Tornadoes in Pickaway County, Ohio

29 tornadoes have crossed Pickaway County since 1950, 14th of the 88 counties in Ohio with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.6 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 48. 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
29
Deaths
1
Injuries
48
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, October 13, 1999

The deadliest in Pickaway County

  1. F2, Fayette, Madison and Pickaway counties, OhioMarch 10, 19861 killed, 10 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Pickaway and Ross counties, OhioOctober 13, 1999F3, 3.6 mi (6 km)
  2. F3, Pickaway County, OhioSeptember 3, 1970F3, 2.3 mi (4 km)
  3. F2, Fayette, Madison and Pickaway counties, OhioMarch 10, 1986F2, 28.0 mi (45 km)
  4. F2, Pickaway County, OhioMay 22, 1958F2, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  5. F2, Fayette and Pickaway counties, OhioFebruary 22, 1971F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  6. F2, Pickaway County, OhioOctober 11, 2006F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  7. F2, Pickaway County, OhioJune 5, 1963F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Pickaway County. Each year links to every tornado in Ohio that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241EF0
20231EF0
202213EF0
20212EF1
20192EF1
20111EF1
20102EF1
20063F2
20011F0
20001F0
199916F3
19891F0
19861110F2
19832F1
19801F1
197417F1
197314F1
19711F2
197011F3
1965113F1
196321F2
195813F2

Every tornado that crossed Pickaway County

29 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 28, 20245:29 AM ESTEF0Pickaway2.280$250,000
February 27, 20234:03 PM ESTEF0Pickaway1.4100$150,000
July 17, 20224:05 PM EDTEF0Pickaway6.01003$260,000
October 15, 20211:59 AM EDTEF1Pickaway2.780$200,000
July 29, 20215:20 PM EDTEF0Pickaway0.950$100,000
May 27, 20191:09 AM EDTEF1Pickaway1.675$1.5 million
May 27, 201912:57 AM EDTEF1Pickaway3.8150$1.0 million
April 20, 20112:14 AM EDTEF1Pickaway4.2200$75,000
October 26, 20101:52 PM EDTEF0Pickaway2.230$75,000
September 16, 20105:56 PM EDTEF1Pickaway2.9200$90,000
October 11, 20066:25 PM EDTF2Pickaway0.550$60,000
August 28, 20066:42 PM EDTF0Pickaway0.110$1,000
August 28, 20066:22 PM EDTF0Pickaway1.550$250,000
June 2, 20013:45 PM EDTF0Pickaway0.5100$50,000
September 23, 20005:15 PM EDTF0Pickaway0.120
October 13, 19995:00 PM EDTF3Pickaway3.606$4.0 million
July 12, 19894:30 PM EDTF0Pickaway0.250
March 10, 19864:25 PM ESTF2Fayette28.0100110$500,000 to $5 million
June 30, 19836:20 PM EDTF1Pickaway2.050$500 to $5,000
May 2, 19836:27 PM EDTF1Fayette11.083$50,000 to $500,000
July 12, 19804:15 PM EDTF1Pickaway0.273$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19746:18 PM EDTF1Pickaway1.0107$5,000 to $50,000
December 26, 19736:00 PM ESTF1Ross35.7104$50,000 to $500,000
February 22, 19714:25 PM ESTF2Fayette2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
September 3, 19709:30 PM EDTF3Pickaway2.31001$5,000 to $50,000
April 11, 196512:30 AM GMT-5F1Pickaway38.430013$50,000 to $500,000
June 5, 19637:30 PM GMT-4F2Pickaway0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 19, 19633:15 PM GMT-5F1Pickaway0.1101$5,000 to $50,000
May 22, 19584:15 PM GMT-4F2Pickaway9.0303$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Pickaway CountyThe forecast for Pickaway CountyThe live radar over Pickaway 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.