The first tornado touched down at 4:37 a.m. before ending at 4:41 a.m. just south of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Greene County, and the second tornado touched down at 4:52 a.m. south of Shawnee High School before ending near Choctaw Lake in Madison County, according to storm damage surveys conducted by the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
Neither tornado was associated with reports of injuries or fatalities, the NWS said.
The Riverside tornado reached an estimated maximum wind speed of 100 mph and was rated an EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale for tornadoes with wind speeds between 86 and 110 mph.
The weak tornado had a maximum path width of 200 yards and a path length of about 2.4 miles.
Large, hardwood branches were broken near the intersection of Mitchell Drive and Spinning Road. Multiple trees were reported down near Eisenhower Drive and glass was blown out of storefronts at the Airway Shopping Center at 4876 Airway Drive.
The Interstate 675 North ramp to Wright Patterson Air Force Base Gate 22B was temporarily closed Wednesday morning due to storm damage. The base also reported damage to buildings in Area B.
A restoration hanger sustained minor structural damage with sheet metal ripped off and flying debris damaged some aircraft undergoing restoration, the survey said.
Guardrails were bent and several hardwood trees were broken and snapped down Loop Road. Some residences on the eastern side of the base had shingles ripped off and the roof of an apartment complex behind Meijer lost quite a bit of shingles, according to the report.
The tornado weakened as it traveled further east, with the last tree damage noted near University Boulevard, just west of the Wright State University student union.
A strong tornado touched down at 4:52 a.m. on Selma Pike in Springfield Twp., where several trees were snapped before it strengthened and broadened as it moved northeast, eventually reaching EF-2 intensity along Ridge Road near state Route 41 where three homes sustained complete roof losses, the survey said.
Tornadoes that measure EF-2 have wind speeds between 111 and 135 mph.
From there was intermittent EF-1 and EF-2 damage, including a dozen barns and outbuildings destroyed and more houses with roof losses before the tornado continued into Madison County.
Notable damage occurred at the Madison County Airport with a collapse of one of the metal hangers and significant damage to other hangers and aircraft, which is an indicator for maximum wind speeds of 130 mph, the survey said.
The tornado had a maximum path width of 500 yards and traveled 21.3 miles before lifting at 5:15 a.m. in a field near London.
Of note is that in a couple areas, such as along state Route 41 near Rose Hill Cemetery, the damage path was more than a half-mile wide but the maximum width of the tornado circulation was estimated around 500 yards, the NWS reported.
“The damage pattern was extremely complex and included a significant amount of straight line wind damage to the south of the tornado track,” the survey stated.
There were three other tornadoes in Ohio: an EF-2 tornado in Blacklick in Franklin County that later entered Licking County as an EF-1; an EF-1 tornado in Hilliard in Franklin County; and a tornado in Jersey in Licking County that may include some of the damage reported in Franklin County.
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