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EF1 tornado in Auglaize County, Ohio

Tornado March 31, 2023 · Auglaize County, Ohio

EF1
Rating
9.2 mi
Path length
300 yd
Path width
7
Injuries
$3.0M
Damage as recorded
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 300 yards (0.17 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The first sign of visible damage associated with this tornado occurred on Owl Creek Road. At one residence, two large trees were knocked down while a barn was destroyed at another residence. The tornado strengthened as it moved to the northeast, removing a significant portion of a warehouse building roof and snapping several power poles. Just northeast of here, a large commercial greenhouse was completely leveled. The tornado then crossed the intersection of U.S. 33 and Interstate 75, causing significant roof damage and partial exterior wall collapse to an industrial building. At this point, the tornado was at its strongest with estimated winds of up to 110 mph.

On the east side of Interstate 75 and just north of U.S. 33, a truck stop experienced significant damage and a few semi-trailers were blown over. Just northeast of here, a private campground suffered significant damage. At the campsite, numerous trailers were flipped over and a large meeting hall had its roof removed. Several trees were also knocked down. Seven people were injured when the trailers were flipped at the campground.

As the tornado continued northeast, several farmhouses were damaged and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed between Wapakoneta and Uniopolis, particularly along Middle Pike. Considerable debris was noted in nearby fields. A historic brick school building was also destroyed on Brown Road. Numerous trees were also snapped and uprooted along the path. Sporadic damage to trees and outbuildings continued to the northeast before the tornado apparently lifted near the Auglaize/Allen County line.

This tornado started at 2354 EST, March 31st, 2023 and ended at 0007 EST, April 1st, 2023. The injuries occurred just before midnight EST so were included in the March 2023 Storm Data for Ohio, Southwest.

The wider storm

Showers and thunderstorms overspread the area during the late evening hours ahead of a strong low pressure system and an associated cold front moving through the Ohio Valley.

Began near Wapakoneta (40.5345, -84.2253).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

3 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

EF0 Auglaize CountyEF0 Mercer CountyEF0 Preble County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1086736. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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