Did Cincinnati have a tornado touch down? The National Weather Service needs to confirm

Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read
Four tornadoes touched down in Ohio early Wednesday morning, including one north of Cincinnati.
Four tornadoes touched down in Ohio early Wednesday morning, including one north of Cincinnati.

[Correction: An earlier version of this story included reports of confirmed tornadoes, which were inaccurate. This story has been updated to reflect current reporting.]

Severe weather brought strong winds and rain to southwest and central Ohio overnight, but the National Weather Service has yet to confirm any tornadoes touched down.

The service investigates after storms before confirming tornado activity.

Ohio weather: How the National Weather Service will decide if Ohio experienced tornadoes

Yet the Clark County Emergency Management Agency and National Weather Service in Wilmington reports at least one tornado touched down in Clark County east of Dayton as storms moved across parts of Ohio early Wednesday.

A radar-indicated tornado struck down in Clark County from Springfield through the county line, the EMA said in a news release.

Another twister was possibly reported nearby a few minutes later southeast of Springfield, moving toward South Vienna.

A tornado may also have struck in Madison County near Columbus.

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

Tornados in February are more common than you might think

Despite still being winter, you might have been shocked to see that the National Weather Service forecasted thunderstorms, high winds, hail and even tornadoes for Tuesday and Wednesday. 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.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Ohio weather could lead to confirmed tornadoes by NWS