EF3 Tornado — Miami, Ohio

2019-05-27 · near Potsdam, Miami, Ohio

Event narrative

The tornado initially touched down in Darke County at 2125EST, about a mile southeast if Pitsburg. It moved east and entered Miami County at 2128EST along Hall Road, about a half mile northwest of Potsdam.

As the tornado entered Miami County, significant tree damage occurred on State Route 721 south of Laura. Structural damage began to occur near the intersection of Wright Road and Markley Road, with partial roof loss to an outbuilding. On Ditmer Road and South Shiloh Road, nearly every property sustained tree damage, some of which was significant.

As the tornado neared State Route 571, structural damage became much more severe. Several homes on State Route 571 between South Shiloh Road and South Range Line Road were rendered uninhabitable. Many homes had at least partial roof removal and some sustained complete roof removal. A few homes suffered the collapse of some exterior walls and while this was more common with garage walls, it also occurred on a few well-built walls away from garages. At one home, a lawn tractor was thrown out into the adjacent field to the northeast.

Damage was very similar across the field on South Range Line Road. Two homes experienced complete roof removal, with one also having walls collapse on multiple sides of the second story of the home. Mud splatter on all sides of structures was significant, and one vehicle interior was largely covered in mud after the failure of the rear window. Another home lost a significant portion of the roof, as well as losing quite a bit of material from an interior wall after the winds had entered the structure. The rotating winds of the tornado were very obvious on this north-to-south oriented road. Along the northern portion of the tornado track, one home lost its entire roof and had it deposited hundreds of feet into the field to the west, opposite the direction of motion of the tornado. Along the southern portion of the tornado track, debris accumulated across the field, along a tree line over a quarter mile away to the east.

The width of this tornado was most evident as it passed east across Elleman Road. Damage was observed as far south as the intersection with State Route 571 and as far north as several spots along State Route 55. While the damage on State Route 55 was primarily to roofing material and trees, more significant structural damage continued to be observed a little farther south on Elleman Road.

The tornado maintained its intensity as it crossed State Route 48 about a mile and a half north of downtown West Milton. Tree damage was severe along this road, with canopy loss even to trees that remained standing. Many structures were heavily damaged or destroyed. The only known injury from this tornado occurred when a trailer home was flipped over. A well-built brick home suffered the collapse of large portions of the west-facing and south-facing walls, with near-complete roof removal. A garage adjacent to this property was flattened. A trailer home just to the south was completely destroyed, with the failure of nearly all exterior walls and even some interior walls. Debris from these homes and structures was carried about a half mile across the field, stopped only by the tree line from traveling farther.

Widespread tree damage and moderate structural damage continued to be observed as the tornado moved east across Calumet Road, Kessler-Frederick Road, and Kessler Road. One home on Kessler Road lost its entire roof and a full-size camper was thrown and wedged against the garage.

Less significant damage was observed after passing Kessler Road, where the tornado turned from the east to the southeast. Damage observed on Nashville Road south of West Kessler Cowlesville Road was limited to trees, and it is believed that the tornado dissipated somewhere in this vicinity.

This tornado was responsible for a lengthy swath of EF2 level damage, generally 120 to 130 mph, extending from State Route 571 to Kessler Road. However, damage to a few homes on State Route 571, South Range Line Road, and State Route 48, was notably more significant, with a combined degree of roof loss and exterior wall collapse that warranted an estimate of 140 mph winds, within the EF3 category.

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 → (39.9778, -84.4273)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 817681. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.