Ohio sees record number of tornadoes for first three months of 2024. Will it continue?

Chad Murphy, Columbus Dispatch
Updated ·4 min read

Ohio has set a new record for the most tornadoes through the first three months of the year. Is the state on track to surpass its yearly total?

Ohio had 21 tornadoes touch down through early April, according to Brandon Peloquin, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Wilmington, Ohio, including one confirmed in Adams County on Wednesday. That's the most for this early in the year. The previous record was 12 tornadoes in 1986, WBNS TV-10 reports.

Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a different total than the NWS, with 28 tornadoes in Ohio to date in 2024, the second in the nation. Florida is first with 30.

Peloquin said some databases may show a higher number because tornadoes that cross county lines may be counted multiple times. As an example, he said a single continuous tornado that moves from Auglaize County into Logan County is just one tornado, but may be counted in some databases as two since it affected two counties.

The average number of tornadoes in a single year for Ohio is 21, Peloquin said.

Did tornadoes touch down in Ohio? How the National Weather Service confirms twisters

What is Ohio's record for most tornadoes in a year?

The worst year for tornadoes in Ohio was 1992, when 62 twisters touched down, Peloquin said.

The strongest that year was an EF4 tornado that hit Van Wert County in Western Ohio on Feb. 18. With wind speeds of 166 to 200 mph, the tornado was on the ground for 2.8 miles and caused six injuries but no fatalities. It destroyed a house, a mobile home and two cars, and damaged nine homes, according to Tornado Talk.

Two EF3 tornadoes spawned on Nov. 22, 1992, in Western Ohio during a late fall tornado outbreak over the eastern third of the US, according to the NOAA. Ninety-two tornadoes developed over a three-day period from Nov. 21 to 23, and 20 of those touched down in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.

In Ohio, the first tornado started at 5 p.m. near the Campbellstown community in Preble County and traveled 12 miles, ending near Castine in Darke County. The second twister picked up near there at about 5:20 p.m. and traveled another 8 miles. It ended near Arcanum, also in Darke County.

Logan County tornado: 3 dead as Ohio tornadoes prompt mass casualty response

Will 2024 surpass Ohio's 1992 total for tornadoes?

Through the first three months of the year, Ohio's 21 tornadoes are already about 34% of the way to the state's 1992 total of 62, and already matches the state's average number. And tornado season, which typically peaks between April and June, is only beginning.

"We're off to an active start," Peloquin said in an email, "and climatologically severe weather season peaks in May and June, so it's important to get the message out to be prepared for severe weather. Have multiple ways to receive warnings and know what to do and where to go when warnings are issued."

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Mar 18, 2024; Lakeview, Ohio, USA; Volunteers and employees of the Foster Equipment Sales company out of Springfield, Ohio help to clean up debris in the Geiger Mobile Home Park. Two residents of the Park died when homes were destroyed during a tornado that swept through the area.
Mar 18, 2024; Lakeview, Ohio, USA; Volunteers and employees of the Foster Equipment Sales company out of Springfield, Ohio help to clean up debris in the Geiger Mobile Home Park. Two residents of the Park died when homes were destroyed during a tornado that swept through the area.

Where does 1974 and the deadly Xenia tornado season rank?

April 3, 1974, saw some of the most severe tornadoes in Ohio's history. An EF5 twister tore through Xenia in the early afternoon, and another EF5 landed near Springfield just over an hour later, according to historical Dispatch data.

The tornado in Xenia led to dozens of fatalities and an estimated $250 million in damages, but 1974, with its 25 confirmed sightings, was a relatively calm year for Ohio tornadoes. The state saw far more activity in 1992 (63 tornadoes), 2019 (58), 1973 (55) and 2023 (49).

Does global warming play a role in Ohio's tornadoes?

It's tough to tie any single weather event to global warming, Clark said. However, scientists also note that changing climates and warming oceans impact the jet stream.

But Clark said the jet stream is most active during winter. Jet streams are strong bands of wind that run west to east across the globe. That jet stream wind combined with unseasonably warm temperatures creates a favorable environment for storm supercells.

Bailey Gallion of the Columbus Dispatch contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Ohio sees record tornado activity so far in 2024. Will it continue?