Did tornadoes touch down in Ohio? How the National Weather Service confirms twisters
Tornado sirens blare and strong winds cause chaos -- downing branches, trees and powerlines, damaging buildings and pulling the roof off houses.
But it's not a tornado until the National Weather Service can confirm it. Here's how they go about doing that.
How are tornadoes confirmed?
After suspected tornadoes are spotted, crews from National Weather Service will survey possible tornado damage in person.
The pattern of damage, not how much damage was caused, determines whether it was a tornado, according to the weather service. For tornadoes, with their violently rotating columns of air, damage often has a chaotic appearance, with larger uprooted trees often crossing each other. Weather service surveyors often look at larger uproots of trees to get a true idea of where the wind was blowing from.
What's the difference between a tornado and a microburst?
The National Weather Service defines a microburst as a localized column of sinking air within a thunderstorm. Wind speeds in microbursts can reach up to 100 mph or higher, which is equivalent to an EF1 tornado. Winds this high can cause major damage to homes and other structures and level hundreds of trees.
Again, the weather service looks at the pattern of damage to determine a microburst. Damage looks flattened out, with trees pointing in the same direction or fanning out from one another.
How are tornadoes rated?
The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
- EF0: Weak, with wind speeds of 65 to 85 mph
- EF1: Weak, 86 to 110 mph
- EF2: Strong, 111 to 135 mph
- EF3: Strong, 136 to 165 mph
- EF4: Violent, 166 to 200 mph
- EF5: Violent, greater than 200 mph
Has there ever been an EF5 tornado in Ohio?
Just four Ohio tornadoes since 1950 have received the most severe EF5 designation. The last time was May 31, 1985, when an EF5 tornado through Portage and Trumbull counties claimed 10 lives. There were 10 other tornadoes in Ohio that day.
Ohio's tornado history: What to do if you're caught in a twister
When is tornado season in Ohio?
Ohio's tornado season considered to be April through June, according to the National Weather Service. However, tornadoes can and have happened in every month of the year.
When is tornado season in Ohio?Here's when we see the most twisters in the state
Tornados in February and March are more common than you might think
Despite still being winter, conditions can still be ripe for tornadoes to form. Here's what you need to know about winter tornadoes.
December and January are "the lowest months" for tornado formation, National Weather Service meteorologist Nate McGinnis said. As for February, severe weather and tornadoes form "fairly commonly" late in the month when winter begins to wane.
The NWS Wilmington office, which covers southwestern and central Ohio along with areas of Kentucky and Indiana, has recorded winter tornadoes almost every year since 2012. There were four winter tornadoes in 2014, three in 2015, five in 2016, one in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022, and two in 2023.