Following Tuesday’s severe storms that caused widespread damage in northeast Ohio and left nearly half a million people without power, the National Weather Service confirmed that two tornadoes struck in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties.
1. TORNADO FROM AVON LAKE TO ROCKY RIVER:
The NWS in Cleveland confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down in Avon Lake in Lorain County at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, remained on the ground until 3:56 p.m., and moved up into Rocky River. The tornado had peak sustained winds of 110 mph (177 km/h), was 600 feet wide, and was 8.4 miles (13.5 km) on the ground. This tornado caused no fatalities or injuries.
According to the NWS, the tornado began near Wedgewood Drive in Avon Lake, where several trees were snapped and a trampoline was lifted from the backyard onto the street. The tornado continued to move east, snapping several trees and ripping shingles off a roof in Teasel Court. As the tornado continued east toward Bay Village, sporadic tree damage occurred.
Widespread tree damage occurred on the Huntington Reservation, and numerous trees were twisted, snapped, and uprooted nearby on Wolf Road and West Oakland Road. Several structures were damaged by fallen trees in this area, including a roof crushed by a tree on West Oakland Road, a roof damaged by a tree, and several sheds damaged or crushed.
The tornado caused isolated tree damage or briefly uplifted trees before breaking off treetops and large limbs along East Oakland Road in Bay Village. A porch in that area was damaged by a fallen tree.
Sporadic damage occurred east-southeast on Laurel Avenue in Rocky River, where a healthy oak tree fell on two houses. Both houses had roof damage, with the brick facade on the north side of the house dislocated and the brick on the east side of the house scratched. The tornado dissipated after snapping several healthy oak trees on Wooster Road near Laurel Avenue; one tree fell on and destroyed a deck.
NEWS 5
2. TORNADO FROM BROOKPARK TO BEDFORD HEIGHTS:
A second tornado was confirmed in Cuyahoga, a few miles south of the first tornado. The EF-1 tornado began in Brookpark at 3:59 p.m., remained on the ground for 25 minutes, and moved 17 miles toward Bedford Heights. It had peak sustained sustained winds of 104 mph and was 1,060 feet wide. No deaths or injuries were reported from this tornado.
The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado touched down in Brookpark near Holland Road, tearing off individual tree limbs. The metal roofing of the Brookpark Recreation Center was torn off part of the roof. Significant tree damage was noted along most of the trail, including broken tree limbs, some of which were twisted, and other trees that were broken off at the trunk. Numerous trees fell on homes and cars and downed power lines.
A metal-clad garage collapsed near Carol Drive and Middlebrook Boulevard. A neighbor’s garage was also damaged, and most of a covered patio was destroyed. Numerous utility poles were leaning or toppled along West 130th Street.
Damage continued east through Parma Heights and Parma, where numerous power poles were leaning and partially toppled in yards and homes along West Ridgewood Drive across from the Shoppes at Parma.
The trail of tree damage continued through Seven Hills, particularly along Chestnut Road, with isolated damage reported in Independence and east of the Cuyahoga River.
Extensive tree damage was noted in Valley View along Stone Road, where several large trees were uprooted and some fell on homes. Many homes in the area had strips of siding torn and ripped off.
A few trees fell along the trail to the north and northwest. The trail continued to Bedford, where another neighborhood south of Turney Road suffered significant damage.
Trees fell on several homes and at least part of a roof was torn off, damaging a chimney. A new shed that was well secured was destroyed and debris was scattered on homes.
Several homes had sections of siding removed and discarded. The path of damage continued eastward through the Bedford Reservation, with damage noted on Union Street and at the Bedford Cemetery. As the tornado dissipated, damage to the east became more sporadic.
We may receive more information from the National Weather Service in the coming days.
NEWS 5
POWER OUTAGES:
According to FirstEnergy, approximately 470,000 Ohio residents in the News 5 area were without power. The following counties have been affected by power outages since 8 p.m. Wednesday.
- Cuyahoga: 195,199
- Ashtabula: 11,846
- Geauga: 25,859
- Lake: 53,977
- Lorraine: 16,269
- Carry: 3,468
- Summit:1,088
- Trumbull: 8,439
A severe thunderstorm warning was in effect throughout News 5’s coverage area, and a half-dozen counties were under a tornado warning. By the time the storms left our area, trees had fallen, power lines had been knocked down, and boats had even capsized at the marina in Lorain.
Storms devastate northeast Ohio, leaving hundreds of thousands without power
RELATED: Storms devastate northeast Ohio, leaving hundreds of thousands without power
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