Rare winter tornado outbreak in Great Lakes, Ohio

*SkyFox flew over a big tree that crashed onto Lake Road in Bay Village Wednesday during high winds*

(AP) — Severe thunderstorms from Ohio to Illinois may have spawned a rare February tornado outbreak that toppled trees, cut power, and damaged homes in the Chicago area and other parts of the Great Lakes following a spell of summerlike, sometimes record temperatures.

Tornado confirmed in Ohio county

Warning sirens jolted residents of central Ohio awake as a possible tornado hit near Columbus. Significant damage was reported at an airport in Madison County, between Dayton and Columbus. Toppled trees closed roads in the area until debris could be cleared including a tree that hit a car in Bay Village, Ohio Wednesday.

At one point, more than 50,000 customers were without power in Ohio and Michigan including power outages in NE Ohio.

PHOTOS: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base damaged by suspected tornado

(Above photo is courtesy of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base where storm damage was reported)

Near Flint, Michigan winds damaged subdivisions, tore up trees, and uprooted gas lines in the wee hours of Wednesday. Police officers said they saw a tornado.

In Geneva, in Chicago’s western suburbs, storms Tuesday evening uprooted trees and left some homes with broken windows and shorn-off doors.

Resident Rebecca Harrington said the storm “cycloned” into her home and collapsed its foyer area.

The storms followed unusual warmth across Illinois in recent days, the National Weather Service office said. They were followed Wednesday by a return to winter weather, with snow and temperatures in the 20s.

The weather service office that covers southwestern and central Ohio has recorded winter tornadoes almost every year since 2012.

Did you see it? Unique site over NE Ohio

Associated Press writers Sarah Brumfield and Corey Williams contributed to this report.

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