National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce
June 23, 2016
Tornado West of Washington Court House, OH
Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Wilmington OH
152 PM EDT FRI JUN 24 2016

...Tornado Confirmed West of Washington Court House in Fayette
County Ohio...

Location...West of Washington Court House in Fayette County Ohio
Date...06/23/2016
Estimated Time...3:20 AM EDT to 3:22 AM EDT
Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF1
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...100 MPH
Maximum Path Width...300 Yards
Path Length...3.8 Miles
Beginning Lat/Lon...39.5518N / 83.5538 W
Ending lat/Lon...39.5197 N / 83.4990 W
* Fatalities...0
* Injuries...0

* The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to
change pending final review of the event(s) and publication in
NWS Storm Data.

...Summary...
The National Weather Service in Wilmington OH has confirmed a
tornado west of Washington Court House in Fayette County Ohio on
06/23/2016.

The first sign of tornadic damage was observed near the corner of
Palmer Road NW and Harmony Road. Siding was removed from multiple
sides of a two story home, particularly on the southeast facing
side. Large tree limbs were also knocked down near this residence.

Damage continued to the southeast along Harmony Road and onto
Burnett Perrill Road. Damage primarily affected hardwood trees,
and several large branches were snapped from the trees. The
orientation of the trees exhibited a convergent pattern to the
damage. Siding was also removed from a garage at a residence on
Burnett Perrill Road.

Near the intersection of Burnett Perrill Road and Jasper-Coil
Road, numerous evergreen trees were snapped or uprooted on the
Jasper-Coil Road side.

The tornado moved across a cornfield and then across Bush
Cemetary on Bush Road. Tree damage at Bush Cemetary was extensive,
and consisted of both snapped and uprooted trees thrown in
multiple directions. A well-defined swirl was noted in the
cornfield to the southeast of Bush Cemetary.

The most significant damage was observed along U.S. Route 22. Two
homes along the 3700 block of US Route 22 suffered structural
damage. One of the homes suffered partial uplift of the roof and
a significant loss of the covering of the roof. The garage was
also heavily damaged and the front porch was lifted. Leaf and
other debris splatter was observed on all sides of the home.
Spruce trees were uprooted and large limbs from other trees were
broken. The residence located on the opposite side of U.S. Route
22 had shingles and siding removed. An un-attached one car garage
was also destroyed. Damage in this area was estimated to be EF1 in
nature, with maximum winds near 100 mph.

To the southeast of this area, sporadic damage to trees and power
poles was noted, however the damage was more consistent with
straight-line winds. The survey also concluded that damage in the
Jasper Mills area was also caused by straight-line winds.

The National Weather Service extends thanks to Fayette County OH
Emergency Management, Fayette County Sheriff's Office and the
affected homeowners for their assistance with this damage survey.

For reference...the Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes
into the following categories:

EF0...wind speeds 65 to 85 mph.
EF1...wind speeds 86 to 110 mph.
EF2...wind speeds 111 to 135 mph.
EF3...wind speeds 136 to 165 mph.
EF4...wind speeds 166 to 200 mph.
EF5...wind speeds greater than 200 mph.

$$

Peloquin


 

 
 

 

 

The following radar loops detail the evolution of the mesocyclone associated with the tornado that formed within the leading edge of a convective complex. The tornado touched down just west of Washington Court House near 3:20 AM EDT. It then traveled east-southeast for several hundred yards. Maximum wind speeds were estimated to be 100 MPH. The radar images with SRM (storm-relative motion) show a very clear couplet (reds next to greens - winds flowing in opposite directions right next to each other). The SRM product tries to subtract the forward motion of the system so the circulation(s) can be better identified.
 

 

KILN 0.5° Reflectivity (Z) and KILN 0.5° Storm-Relative Motion (SRM) from 07:12Z to 07:30Z

Click Image for Animation

 

TDAY 0.3° Storm-Relative Motion (SRM) from 07:13Z to 07:30Z

Click Image for Animation

 

 

These select survey pictures were taken by NWS Wilmington, Ohio employees during a storm survey conducted on June 23, 2016: