Sunday’s tornado was only on the ground from 3:12 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., but wind speeds reached 70 mph and the maximum path was a little less than three miles.
“It was terrifying. I have never been so scared,” said Stacey Pond, a resident of Rose Garden Mobile Home Park on Upper Valley Pike. “I grabbed my dog and we just dove underneath my bed, because that’s the only thing I knew to do.”
RELATED: Sunday tornado damages property for over two miles in Clark County
Several mobile homes at the park sustained significant damage from the tornado, weather service officials confirmed. One unoccupied home had its roof ripped off, and the roof was found about 150 feet away. Insulation covered tree lines around the park.
The tornado wiped out part of Pond’s home, but she said she’s grateful the damage wasn’t much worse.
She said she was standing alone on her deck when she noticed the skies darken and felt strong winds. It was at the mobile home park that wind speeds were at their peak speeds.
“I look over here in the field and I see a bunch of debris and I just watched it. It came across the street and into the field,” she said.
Weather service officials said damage from the tornado was first spotted on Fox Hollow Road, where several trees were downed or snapped and sections of fencing were down.
Damage was also reported at Pratt Industries on Baker Road, where two semi trailers were blown over.
At the Eagle City Soccer Complex, soccer nets were blown over and an outstanding building sustained minor damage. Weather service officials said this was the last known location where damage could be determined to be caused by a tornado.
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Storm damage was also reported in Northridge in Clark County and County Line Road (both Clark and Champaign counties) but weather service officials determined that those damages were caused by straight lines winds between 60-70 mph.
Bruce and Ruth Townsley live on the Champaign County side of County Line Road. On Monday, they spent time cleaning up the limbs in their yard — but a bigger job they had on their hands was removing a tree that snapped on their car port and replacing their son-in-law’s goat barn roof that was ripped off.
“We get the code red on our phones and I got the code red that there was a tornado warning,” said Bruce Townsley. “It hit and then it was gone.”
Clark County’s four confirmed tornadoes this year is half of the statewide total of eight. Two small tornadoes included in the statewide total churned up the same day in Stark County, a similarity to the pair reported Friday in Clark County.
One of Friday’s twisters was spotted near South Charleston and destroyed a barn, scattering debris over 1,200 feet, according to the National Weather Service. The other near South Vienna, confirmed by video and eyewitness accounts, kept to open fields and caused no direct damage, though the storm system caused other damage to structures in the area.
The first tornado of 2019 in the region spun up Feb. 7 near Pitchen in Clark County determined to be an EF-0 maxing out at 85 mph, according to according to the Enhanced Fujita Scale which measures the strength of a tornado. On the ground for about six minutes, it travelled roughly 7.5 miles before dissipating northwest of South Charleston.
2 years of Clark County tornadoes
April 14, 2019: An EF-0 tornado touched down in Clark County Sunday, with maximum winds of 70 mph. The tornado struck several properties on Fox Hollow Road in German Twp. damaging trees and several sections of fencing. The tornado also struck a mobile home park on Upper Valley Pike, and overturned semi trailers near an industrial facility on Baker Road.where an unoccupied home had its roof removed entirely and thrown about 150 feet to the north into a field. The tornado also snapped a tree in Springfield and caused minor damage at Eagle City soccer Complex.
April 12, 2019: Two tornadoes were confirmed in Clark County Friday. One touched down in South Charleston and destroyed a barn. The second hit open fields southwest of South Vienna and caused no damage.
Feb. 7, 2019: An EF-0 touched down near East Jackson Road, reaching speeds of 80 to 85 mph. The tornado traveled 5 miles northwest of Selma and ended 7 ½ miles later 5 miles northwest of South Charleston. It damaged buildings along East Jackson Road and Selma Pike and either uprooted or snapped trees along Old Springfield Road, Limerick Road, and East Pitchin Road between Ridge and Craig roads. There were no injuries or fatalities.
April 3, 2018: An EF-1 tornado touched down 3 miles west and northwest of Selma and southwest of South Charleston, packing 90-mph winds. The tornado traveled a path of 4.3 miles. A barn near Cortsville Road was destroyed and a tree damaged, along with multiple buildings on Selma Pike. There were no injuries.
Nov. 5, 2017: An EF-1 tornado touched down near South Vienna, carrying maximum winds of up to 95 mph and spreading up to 200 yards. It traveled 6.5 miles southeast, downing several trees, blowing a trampoline across the street, overturning a semi-trailer, and wrecking fences and signs in the village.
May 22, 2017: An EF-1 tornado touched down on the western side of Park Layne, creating winds of 86 to 110 mph. It caused damage to several trees, roofs, and businesses, including a Sunoco gas station in the 2100 block of South Dayton-Lakeview Road. Additional tree damage and minor roof damage occurred along Bellefontaine Road to the northwest.
April 5, 2017: Two EF-0 tornadoes touched down in Enon and six miles west of Springfield. Wind speeds for both were estimated at 75 to 80 mph. The first tornado's path was 40 yards wide and 150 yards long. The second's path was 40 yards wide and it traveled for 180 yards. A home and farm along Dayton-Springfield Road were damaged. Several area homes sustained tree damage and lightweight debris damage. Neither tornado resulted in injuries.
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