Ohio Tornado Risk

[BelieveInCleve]

Ohio is above average for tornadoes, but Northeast Ohio is well below average.

The areas that you would maybe have to worry about are West, South, and Central Ohio. Tornadoes are very rare in East and NE Ohio, and when we ever do have tornadoes theyre very weak. Ive lived in NE Ohio for the majority of my life and Ive never seen a tornado or a funnel cloud with my own eyes. I remember hearing about the one near Cedar Point though back around 2000. That was like snow in Miami for us.

[Buzzweiser]

Here is a page that lists tornado's in Ohio between 1950 and 1995. I'm not sure why it hasn't been updated in recent years but you can get a general idea of how often and what size they come.
Ohio Tornadoes

We had an F1 go over the house 2 years ago after it did some minor damage behind the Dayton Mall. First close call we've had in Centerville in recent years. We do get more frequent siren warnings than we did in days past but thats due mostly to radar identified rotation in storms and not actual tornado's. Its better to be safe than sorry. Biggest weather threats in Ohio are flooding and straight line winds.

This page may help a little more.

http://ohioinsurance.org/factbook200...chapter_4m.htm

[HawgKlr]

Wayne County, near Smithville, Wooster and sometime near Medina are hot spots...I too, lived in Ohio for 45 years. I saw tornado watches and warnings EACH AND EVERY YEAR.

[mecala]

OK ,some seem to think there is no need for a warning siren in the Cleveland area in case of tornadoes ,but with the railways and factories what about a warning for those outside or away from a media source in the case of a chemical emergency? an ounce of prevention..... don't dumb down smart up !

[Peregrine]

In 57 years of data, only 14 tornadoes have caused damage in Cuyahoga County, which is an average of about one tornado every four years.
Effectiveness of County-Wide Tornado Warnings in Cuyahoga County, Ohio

How many of those caused any severe damage? I'd guess maybe one. Maybe.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

A warning system vs. no warning system? Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
There are other dangerous events than tornados that can occur.

Tornados are dependent on weather conditions, not terrain.
I've seen miles of hilly, forested terrain flattened by tornados.

The insurance chart is a good aid. A basement with a reinforced room and additional exit is cheap insurance.

[dragon_fly_12]

I did see a major storm pass through the Cleveland area in 2007 that had possible funnel clouds south towards Medina and Lodi. It did do some damage, but overall was pretty minor. The areas affected were Lodi - Canton.

As others have said, western / flatter parts of Ohio see more tornado action -- but, the action rarely hits the same location over and over. A year ago this coming week there was a major (F4 I believe) tornado that hit just south of Toledo. This actually took out my husband's high school and several neighborhoods. Pretty catastrophic -- but, still the first major tornado seen in the area in a very long time. NE Ohio does not see that kind of activity.

[Cleveland_Collector]

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

A warning system vs. no warning system? Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
There are other dangerous events than tornados that can occur.

Tornados are dependent on weather conditions, not terrain.
I've seen miles of hilly, forested terrain flattened by tornados.

The insurance chart is a good aid. A basement with a reinforced room and additional exit is cheap insurance.

That's not 100% correct. Since weather conditions are often influenced by terrain, tornadoes and their capability to form are also. Tornadoes are most common in lower-lying, flat areas. It is no coincidence that "tornado alley" is located in and around the Great Plains states. While it's possible for a super-cell and, therefore, a tornado to form just about anywhere, the phenomenon is far and away more common where colder, northern air meets with warmer, more humid gulf air with minimal natural obstructions (i.e., mountains, large lakes, deep river valleys, etc.).

NEO is not a hotbed of tornado activity for varying reasons. Mostly, it's because super-cells are relatively uncommon due to the influence of the lake and the varying elevations.