Residents of several counties searched through remains Friday after tornadoes ripped through the central United States late Thursday, leaving at least three dead in Ohio and dozens injured.
The storms left a trail of destruction in Indiana, Kentucky and Arkansas, flattening homes and other buildings. There were also reports of tornadoes in Illinois and Missouri.
At least three people were killed after a significant tornado tore through Ohio’s Logan County, northwest of Columbus, one of at least eight reported tornadoes Thursday night.
A multiday severe weather outbreak unleashed a string of tornadoes and damaging hailstorms from the Ozarks to the Ohio Valley, coming just after “gorilla” hail pounded the Plains and a strong tornado hit rural Kansas on Wednesday. Apparent tornadoes also hit parts of Indiana, where dozens have been injured, Arkansas and Kentucky.
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Hardest hit were the Ohio towns of Santa Fe and Lakeview, as well as Midway and Russell’s Point. Lake County Sheriff Randy Dodds told the Associated Press the towns are dotted with cottages owned by people who come for fishing and boating. On Friday, search crews and cadaver dogs looked through the neighborhoods that had been blocked by gas leaks and fallen trees overnight but didn’t find any more victims, Dodds said. “When you see this damage, you’ll be surprised it was only three,” the sheriff told the AP.
More than 7,000 people in Ohio were still without power late Friday, according to PowerOutage.us, as well as 23,000 in Texas. Multiple severe thunderstorm complexes had raged through the night, transitioning to windy squall lines that were moving through both Texas and Alabama to start the day.
The National Weather Service received almost 700 reports of severe weather Thursday from northern Texas to western Pennsylvania, including eight tornado reports, more than 170 reports of damaging winds, and more than 500 reports of large hail. Tornado watches stretched 1,024 miles continuously from Graham, Tex., to Sandusky, Ohio, on Thursday evening.
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Severe thunderstorm activity is expected to wane into the weekend as a cooler, drier air mass follows a cold front.
Ohio tornado
The majority of tornadoes associated with Thursday’s outbreak formed in Indiana and Ohio, on the northeast periphery of the original severe weather risk area. That marked the northern edge of warm, moist air wafting north out of the Gulf of Mexico, which acted as an effective warm front, imparting low-level helicity, or twist, that storms used to produce tornadoes.
A tornado warning was issued in Logan County around 7:27 p.m. At 7:34 p.m., the Weather Service warned of a “radar-confirmed tornado,” and that “radar [showed] debris in the air.” It reached Lakeview shortly after 7:40 p.m., and moved into town at approximately 40 mph.
Social media video emerged of the tornado looming eerily against graying skies at dusk. Multiple protrusions can be seen reaching out of the funnel like arms — evidence of horizontal vortexes, which usually only occur in the strongest tornadoes.
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An RV park in nearby Lakeview posted on social media, “Lakeview is destroyed,” pointing to what it described as the destruction of a mobile home park. “Pray for Lakeview and Russell Point” — both communities along Indian Lake, about 60 miles northwest of Columbus — the post said.
Share this articleShareAmber Fagan, head of the Indian Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, told local media, “It’s pure devastation.”
About 25 people were treated for mostly broken bones and internal injuries at the nearest hospital, in Bellefontaine, Laura Miller, a spokesperson for Mary Rutan Hospital, told AP.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) assessed the damage and met with residents on Friday.
Other tornadoes
At least one other tornado impacted Randolph and Switzerland counties in Indiana, leaving at least 38 people injured in the Winchester area, the Randolph sheriff’s office said on Facebook.
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“There have been many, many significant injuries,” Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter told reporters just before midnight Thursday, according to the Associated Press. “There’s a lot that we don’t know yet.” Schools in the district were closed Friday as cleanup continued.
The Winchester tornado was rated an EF3 on the 0-to-5 scale for intensity by the Weather Service.
A tornado also swept through Delaware County, Ind., in the early evening, damaging up to half of the structures in the town of Selma, about 55 miles northeast of Indianapolis, according to the county’s emergency management agency. One person was taken to a hospital and others suffered minor injuries, the agency said in a news release. A reunification center was established at a high school.
In Kentucky, footage emerged of a tornado crossing the Ohio River from Indiana. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said in a video statement posted on X that a tornado touched down along the Indiana-Kentucky border in Gallatin and Trimble counties, and noted reports of minor injuries. “It does appear that there is some really significant damage,” Beshear said. “ … We think over 100 structures are potentially damaged.”
Absolutely insane video of a tornado crossing the Ohio River into Kentucky earlier today.
Video is from Jenny Craghead on Facebook. #kywx pic.twitter.com/6dRclNsCcH
— Chris Bailey🌪️🌩️ (@Kentuckyweather) March 14, 2024ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLuiwMiopWhqYGeBcHySaGhuZ5%2BdtrB5yKebopmelnq1u9GnmJ2nXajBsL7MrGSwnZGptaa%2Bjg%3D%3D