EF4 Tornado — Wood, Ohio

2010-06-05 · near Moline, Wood, Ohio

Event narrative

A devastating tornado moved across portions of northern Wood County during the late evening hours of June 5th. The tornado reached a peak intensity of EF4 and was responsible for the deaths of seven people. Five of the victims died immediately with the other two passing away from their injuries at later dates. The initial touchdown occurred east of Perrysburg along Oregon Road just to the north of the Ohio Turnpike. The tornado then moved east northeast toward Toledo Metcalf Field as an EF0 to EF1. The tornado intensified to an EF2 as it crossed East Broadway Street. Over two dozen homes in a neighborhood bordered by East Broadway to the west and State Route 795 to the north and east were heavily damaged or destroyed. The worst of the damage was along Shawnee and Neill Avenues in this neighborhood. The tornado then crossed State Route 795 and followed the highway toward Metcalf Field. The tornado intensified to EF3 at that time. Several homes along Moline-Martin Road were destroyed between State Route 795 and Metcalf Field. An occupant of one of the homes, an 87 year old man, was injured by the tornado and later died. As the tornado approached Metcalf Field it crossed a railroad yard and overturned a couple dozen railroad cars. The tornado then moved across the southern end of the airport grounds and destroyed the Lake Township Administrative and Police Department building located just northwest of the intersection of Cummings Road and State Route 795. A 20 year old female was killed by the tornado just outside of the police department. She had left her vehicle along with her boyfriend and child to seek refuge in the police station. She was caught outside and was reportedly killed by flying debris. At the police station, the tornado destroyed at least six police vehicles and one emergency response vehicle. The emergency response vehicle was found over 1000 feet away from its original position. One police vehicle was found wrapped around a large tree. After doing extensive damage to an agricultural business, the tornado struck the Lake Local School District complex along State Route 795 and Lemoyne Road. Lake High School took a direct hit from the tornado and was damaged enough to be considered destroyed. The nearby middle and elementary schools sustained considerable roof damage. The high school gymnasium was scheduled to hold a commencement ceremony for the graduating senior class on June 6th. Large sections of the gymnasium collapsed. A field house, cafeteria and auditorium adjacent to the high school were destroyed. At least eight school buses were overturned and destroyed by the tornado. The tornado continued to move parallel to and just north of State Route 795 at EF3 intensity. A 56 year old female was killed by flying debris while driving her car on State Route 795 near the school complex. The woman's daughters were following in another car which was also destroyed. The daughters both sustained minor injuries. The tornado continued east northeast and crossed Interstate 280 just north of the State Route 795 interchange before moving across open fields for about a mile. The tornado may have briefly weakened to EF2 intensity, but then strengthened back to EF3 intensity as it crossed Bradner Road to the west of Millbury. The tornado destroyed several homes in a neighborhood bordered by Bradner Road to the west and Cherry Street to the south. A 47 year old man was killed in house on Case Road in this neighborhood. The man's daughter was the valedictorian of the graduating senior class at Lake High School which was destroyed by the tornado. The tornado then intensified to EF4 as it approached Main Street on the north side of Millbury. Over a dozen homes were destroyed or heavily damaged along Main Street. A 36 year old woman and her four year old son were killed in one of the destroyed homes on Main Street. The woman's 37 year old husband died on June 12th from injuries sustained from the tornado. Several more homes were destroyed or heavily damaged on Hille Drive and Woodville Road before the tornado crossed North Fostoria Road and moved into Ottawa County as a weak EF3 or strong EF2 tornado. This tornado was on the ground for around six and a half miles in Wood County and destroyed or heavily damaged over 60 homes. Dozens of additional homes sustained minor damage with another couple hundred homes affected by the storm. Dozens of vehicles were also destroyed. Hundreds of trees were toppled or snapped by the tornado along the damage path which was up to 400 yards in width. The tornado debarked some of the larger trees along the damage path. At least one high tension utility pole was toppled by the tornado and widespread power outages occurred in Millbury and Walbridge. Damage to the Lake Township infrastructure was estimated at five million dollars with tens of millions of losses to the Lake Local School District. The exact number of injuries caused by this tornado is unknown, but at least 17 people had to be hospitalized in nearby Toledo. Debris from this tornado has been found dozens of miles away, including on some of the islands in western Lake Erie.

Wider weather episode

A stationary frontal system stretched across the lower Great Lakes on the morning of Saturday, June 5th. This resulted in a very warm and humid airmass over northern Ohio. Outflow boundaries from earlier storms interacted with the stationary front to initiate thunderstorm development during the afternoon hours across inland northern Ohio. One of the stronger thunderstorms produced tornadoes in Richland and Holmes Counties. There were also a few reports of straight line thunderstorm wind damage. A rapidly deepening area of low pressure moved quickly east across southern lower Michigan during the evening hours. This low eventually moved across Lake Erie during the early morning hours of the 6th. Showers and thunderstorms developed across northern Indiana during the evening hours. These storms intensified and moved east along the stationary front and into Northwest Ohio. A devastating EF4 tornado developed over Wood County a little before midnight. This tornado moved into Ottawa County before dissipating. Seven people were killed and dozens of homes destroyed by the tornado. A weaker tornado also moved across portions of Lucas County. A third round of storms developed during the early morning hours of the 6th ahead of a cold front trailing the low. These storms moved across northern Ohio and produced pockets of damage. An EF1 tornado occurred in Ashtabula County around daybreak. A total of five tornadoes occurred in northern Ohio on June 5th and 6th. These tornadoes killed seven people, injured dozens and destroyed or damaged over a 100 homes. A school and a public administration building were also leveled. Damage estimates easily topped $100 million.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (41.5512, -83.5380)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 239602. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.