Columbus a Tornado Hot Spot?

[scioto]

[quote=bluecarebear;36668816]I have been interested in relocating to Ohio for awhile now. In my research I discovered that Ohio hasn't had a major tornado since the 70s or so. After living out West, a rare F0 or F1 is nothing.


Few other recent strong/violent Ohio tornadoes:

Lake Twp./Millbury, Ohio- 2010- EF-4

Moscow, Ohio- 2012- EF-3

Cedarville, Ohio- 2014- EF-3

[robertfoshizzle]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

I have been interested in relocating to Ohio for awhile now. In my research I discovered that Ohio hasn't had a major tornado since the 70s or so. After living out West, a rare F0 or F1 is nothing.

In general, Ohio has a very moderate climate with very few extremes. It is a huge positive that the state should promote more.

That is not true. In addition to other tornadoes mentioned, we had 2 F-4 tornadoes in the Cincinnati area in the '90s (1990, 1999 with 4 fatalities), and there was an F-4 in Xenia in 2000. In fact, Ohio ranks 10th in most F4/EF-4 and F5/EF-5 tornadoes from 1950-2011 with 19: Violent F4/EF-4 and F5/EF-5 Tornadoes in the United States since 1950 | United States Tornadoes

[bluecarebear]

Oh. Well, Hocking Hills & Athens is safe.

After living in Tornado Alley, it ain't nothing to worry about.

[Fletchman]

Every few years, Ohio will have a significant tornado outbreak. But it's still not anything like most of the midwest.

[robertfoshizzle]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

Oh. Well, Hocking Hills & Athens is safe.

After living in Tornado Alley, it ain't nothing to worry about.

Yeah, the vast majority of major tornadoes occur in the western third of the state. Southeastern Ohio pretty much never gets any significant tornadoes. I don't believe there has ever been an F4 or F5 anywhere near Athens.

[jbcmh81]

Columbus has never had a major tornado event, at least not in terms of damage and/or injuries/deaths. The strongest to ever hit the city was an EF3 in 1973, but it caused little damage. It doesn't appear to be in a particularly good area for that kind of activity.

[scioto]

Originally Posted by jbcmh81

It doesn't appear to be in a particularly good area for that kind of activity.

Which is a very good thing.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by scioto

Which is a very good thing.

Yep, incidentally I've been researching through old newspaper archives from the Library of Congress and found a pretty early indicator that tornadoes just seem to bypass Columbus.

Dated April 13, 1860:

In Champaign County a tornado did more or less injury to buildings, forests and fences, and the night of the 9th the townships of Sharon, Clinton, Mifflin and Jefferson, in Franklin County, were visited with the most terrific tornado ever visited in the vicinity. Forests were torn up, barns and sheds blown down, and a number of animals killed.

The article goes on to describe the damage to these areas, but the article ends with:

Fortunately it did not touch Columbus, but passed a little distance to the northeast of the city.

For reference, Mifflin Twp. is part of Gahanna, about where 670 and 270 meet. Sharon Twp. is the Worthington area around 23 and 270, Jefferson Twp. is northeast of Mifflin and Clinton Twp. is the very northern part of Linden today. If a tornado ever took the same path, parts of the city would be hit, but in 1860, these were all entirely rural. From the descriptions of damage, it's not likely that the tornado was actually that strong, probably no more than an EF1 or EF2.