The National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down in Russell and Newbury townships during severe storms that swept across Northeast Ohio March 31.
The National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down in Russell and Newbury townships during severe storms that swept across Northeast Ohio March 31.
The tornado touched down at 5:49 p.m. near Russell Township, tracked along Fairmount Road, and remained on the ground until 5:51 p.m., according to the weather service.
It had estimated peak winds of 100 mph, a path length of 1.53 miles and a maximum width of about 120 yards, according to the NWS.
The storm was initially reported to have impacted Chester Township, but that information was later corrected by both townships.
No injuries were reported.
“The tornado began just northeast of the intersection of Watt Road and Fairmount Road, where a large barn had its roof collapse,” the NWS said in a release.
As the tornado moved east, several pine trees were knocked down onto a house on Fairmount Road, though the home sustained no obvious damage, the release said.
“A power pole was snapped in half at this same location. Farther east along Fairmount Road, the tornado downed additional large pine trees,” the release said. “One of the trees fell onto a home and caused some roof and gutter damage. The tornado ended soon thereafter, just west-northwest of the intersection of Fairmount and Rockhaven roads.”
Earlier that evening, the NWS issued a tornado warning for parts of Geauga and Lake counties after radar indicated rotation near Chardon as a fast-moving storm pushed east through the area.
An EF1 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale is classified by wind speeds between 86 and 110 mph and can cause moderate damage, including downed trees, roof damage and damage to outbuildings, according to the NWS.
“The tornado caused damage in the area affected including a building collapse, downed power lines, trees into structures and downed or broken utility poles,” said Russell Township Fire Chief Nick Sambula in a March 31 interview. “The most significant damage caused by (the) storm was where the tornado was on the ground, but we also had extensive damage along the path of Fairmount Road from Countyline Road to the eastern township line near Sperry and Heath roads.”
The tornado was part of a line of strong storms that moved through the region the evening of March 31, prompting warnings and scattered damage reports across Northeast Ohio.
The NWS conducts storm surveys after severe weather events to determine whether tornadoes occurred and to assess their strength, track and impacts.
“In total, the Russell Township Fire Department responded to 20 storm-related emergencies in just under 24 hours spanning from Tuesday evening, March 31, until Wednesday, April 1,” Sambula added.
The Newbury Township Fire Department responded to approximately 12 to 15 reports of downed wires and trees throughout the township, said Newbury Fire Chief Ken Fagan, noting how busy emergency crews become during severe storms.
The roof of a barn on a Newbury Township farm owned by Les Ober was peeled back by what Ober described as a possible wind shear.
“We took a hit,” he said. “That’s the strongest wind I’ve ever seen.”
Ober estimated the wind speed at about 100 mph, saying the wind whirled beneath the roof and peeled back roughly a quarter of the metal roofing on the barn’s southeast corner.
He said the damage was likely not caused by the tornado because no other structures on the farm were affected. He plans to repair the roof soon.
Fire departments respond to 911 calls during storms and “get hit with call after call” for wires down, communication lines down, trees down or a combination of all, Fagan said.
If a tree is blocking a roadway and does not involve utility lines, crews are permitted to remove the debris.
However, if wires are involved or the tree is too large to safely remove, crews must close the road, Fagan said, noting drivers do not always follow closures.
He urged motorists to take closures seriously.
“Drivers, if there are road closed signs, or cones in the middle (of) the roadway, signifying the road is closed, do not go around everything or move everything,” Fagan said. “Please turn around and find another route to your destination. We do this for your safety.”
The Cleveland office of the NWS thanked the Geauga County Emergency Management Agency and first responders for their assistance with the storm survey.
See Related Story on Tornado Safety.
