F2 Tornado — Stark, Ohio

2002-04-28 · near Crystal Spgs, Stark, Ohio

Event narrative

A strong F2 tornado touched down at 158 pm edt and caused major damage and two minor injuries along a path of just over seven miles. Major damage occurred along the path which was nearly a quarter mile in width at times. The initial touchdown occurred west of the intersection of Arlington Avenue and Windy Lane Street NW near Crystal Springs. From this location, the tornado moved east northeast through residential neighborhoods in Jackson Township. The tornado passed to the north of Lake Cable, crossed Interstate 77 near Portage Street and finally dissipated near a shopping district along State Route 297 in North Canton. The damage path was intermittent along part of its length. Over 300 homes were damaged along the damage path with 25 structures destroyed. An additional 38 buildings including three businesses were partially destroyed with 50 more structures sustaining significant roof damage. Another 197 homes and businesses suffered minor damage. A middle school building suffered extensive damage and was closed for nearly a week for repairs. A nearby high school was also damaged. Approximately 1000 trees were downed by the tornado and over 300 vehicles damaged.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.8500, -81.5167)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5287723. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.