March 26, 2026 Severe Weather

News Headlines

Overview

A cold front moved southeast across the area during the late afternoon and evening hours on March 26th. Thunderstorms developed near the cold front as it progressed through the area. A combination of moderate instability, fueled by quickly cooling temperatures in the mid-levels of the atmosphere, along with moderate to strong wind shear, supported organized thunderstorms and all modes of severe weather. Two weak tornadoes were confirmed across the area, along with several reports of hail up to golf ball-sized and sporadic straight-line wind damage.

Radar loop from 4 PM to 11 PM on March 26, 2026.

Tornado
Storm Reports
Environment

Tornadoes:

Tornado - Mount Gilead, OH
Morrow County

Date	March 26, 2026
Time (Local)	8:41 - 8:43 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF1
Est. Peak Winds	95 mph
Path Length	1.53 miles
Max Width	75 yards
Injuries/Deaths	None
Summary: The tornado began northeast of Mount Gilead along US 42 near Home Road, causing extensive tree damage including multiple snapped and uprooted trees. The tornado continued southeast crossing Township Road 103, causing sporadic tree damage. The tornado then crossed OH 95 near Township Road 110, destroying a 60ft by 100ft outbuilding. Debris from this outbuilding was thrown 100-200 yards to the south southeast by the tornado before the tornado ended.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - Green Valley, OH
Knox County

Date	March 26, 2026
Time (Local)	8:56 - 8:57 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF0
Est. Peak Winds	75 mph
Path Length	0.08 miles
Max Width	20 yards
Injuries/Deaths	None
Summary: A brief tornado began just west of Granny Creek road southwest of Fredricktown. The tornado ripped off part of a metal roof of a barn and carried it southeast, with debris scattered across a field on the east side of the road.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Storm Reports

Link to SPC Storm Reports

Environment


Figure 1: WPC surface analysis map from the morning into the early overnight on March 26, 2026.	Figure 2: Upper air (300 mb) map across the CONUS from 8 PM on March 26, 2026.


Loop of effective deep layer shear during the late afternoon and evening hours on March 27th. Values of 50 to 70kt were in place, supportive of organized severe weather.	Loop of mid-level (500-700mb) lapse rates during the late afternoon and evening hours on March 27th. Values of 6.5 to 7.5C/km are supportive of large hail.