EF4 Tornado — Montgomery, Ohio

2019-05-27 · near Pyrmont, Montgomery, Ohio

Event narrative

The tornado initially touched down just west of Brookville and areas on the south side of Brookville sustained heavy damage, consistent with high-end EF2 wind speeds. Numerous homes suffered significant roof damage and removal, including exterior wall collapse and complete garage destruction.

The tornado then carved a path east through Trotwood where damage consistent with EF2 wind speeds was widespread and some homes sustained damage consistent with EF3 wind speeds. Structures here again featured roof removal and exterior wall collapse. This was particularly true on the south side of Westbrook Road. A large number of homes and apartment complexes were impacted further east in Trotwood, with most of this damage consistent with high-end EF2 wind speeds.

The highest winds were estimated to have occurred in a corridor from eastern Trotwood (between Shiloh Springs Road and Westbrook Road), then southeast between Shiloh Springs Road and Turner Road, into areas along the Stillwater River/Riverside Drive area. Embedded within this zone was higher-end EF3 damage. Areas near Riverside Drive and the Stillwater River exhibited damage consistent with wind speeds of 170 mph, or lower-end EF4 damage. This damage included well-built apartment buildings that sustained complete roof and exterior wall removal. In addition, significant tree devastation was found along the Stillwater River, east of Riverside Drive, that included numerous trees that were debarked and nubbed down to the trunk.

The tornado continued southeast through Dayton and Northridge, and crossed I-75 into the Old North Dayton Area, where heavy damage continued to homes and businesses. As the tornado entered Riverside, damage began to lessen in intensity, but plenty of damage consistent with EF1 wind speeds was noted. The tornado continued further to the southeast, causing damage in a subdivision north of Burkhardt Road. The roof of an apartment building on Dodge Court was removed. This is the final known damage caused by this tornado.

An 86 year old woman died (indirect) on September 1st, 2019, in part due to injuries suffered when she was trapped in her home during the tornado.

Wider weather episode

Thunderstorms developed during the evening hours along a warm front lifting slowly north across the region. Many of the thunderstorms produced tornadoes, including a few strong to violent tornadoes.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.8243, -84.4632)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 816403. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.