The National Weather Service’s Cleveland office noted that the tornadoes touched down in Lorain and Lake counties on August 6, reaching estimated maximum speeds of 110 mph (177 km/h).
According to initial reports, there was no tornado activity during the series of severe storms.
However, National Weather Service officials conducting storm surveys on Aug. 7 and 8 found evidence of two EF1 tornadoes that swept through the northeast Ohio region, according to meteorologist Keith Jaszka of the Cleveland office.
EF is short for Enhanced Fujita Scale and is used to assign a rating to a tornado based on its estimated wind speeds and the damage it caused, Jaszka said.
An EF1 tornado is considered the weakest tornado on the scale, which includes wind speeds between 86 and 110 miles per hour, Jaszka said.
“There was definitely a tornado,” he said.
The first tornado formed at 3:45 p.m. near Wedgewood Drive in Avon Lake, where several trees snapped and a trampoline was lifted into the air from a backyard and landed on the road, according to a National Weather Service report.
In nearby Sheffield Village, storm winds ripped off the roof of a former bar at 5504 Colorado Ave., owned by Dennis Urig.
“After the storm, I went back there (to the bar) and the roof was gone,” Urig said. “I wasn’t there when it happened, but I found it.”
“(Some of the panels) extended about 150 yards to the other end of the field. As I came up the road, I saw the panels first. When I got to the building, I couldn’t see anything until I got to the other side and it was all gone.”
Urig said he has no plans to repair it but wants to sell the property.
The bar has been closed for four years, he said.
“I had a few buyers if I wanted to sell the property,” Urig said. “They would probably tear it down and build houses on it.”
The tornado continued to move east, downing several trees and ripping shingles from a roof on Teasel Court, the report said.
Sporadic tree damage occurred as the tornado continued east toward Bay Village. It then appeared to intensify as it approached the Huntington Beach Reservation, where widespread tree damage occurred and numerous trees were snapped and uprooted near Wolf Road and West Oakland Road, the report said.
As the tornado continued to move through the area, numerous buildings were damaged by falling trees, including one roof that was crushed by a tree on West Oakland Road, the report said.
The report says that other roofs and several sheds were also damaged or destroyed when the trees fell.
In Bay Village, the storm caused additional isolated tree damage before snapping treetops and breaking large branches on East Oakland Road, one of which landed on the porch of a building, the report said.
The tornado continued to cause indiscriminate damage on Laurel Avenue in Rocky River, where a healthy oak tree fell on two homes, the report said.
Both houses suffered significant damage, the report says.
The tornado dissipated at 3:56 p.m. after snapping several healthy oak trees on Wooster Road near Laurel Avenue, with one tree falling onto a deck that was also destroyed, the report concluded.
The tornado traveled 13.5 kilometers and its estimated width was 180 meters, Jaszka said.
“It was a relatively long route,” he said of the tornado’s path.
Another tornado began at 4:20 p.m. in Kirkland in Lake County, traveled 4.7 miles (7.66 kilometers), was also 600 feet wide, and died out at 4:25 p.m. in Chesterland in Geauga County, Jaszka said.
Two more were confirmed, bringing the total number of tornadoes to four in the northeastern part of the state on August 6, he said.
Power outages
Thousands of customers were still without power late in the afternoon of August 8 as utility crews drove around the area to repair downed power lines.
According to Ohio Edison’s website, 12,022 customers in Lorain County were without power and the restoration date was extended from August 10 to August 14.
The company reported that 170,428 customers in Cuyahoga County were still without power and the restoration date is now scheduled for August 15.
In Ashtabula County, 6,176 people remained without power; power is also expected to be restored on August 14.
The company reported that 19,894 customers in Geauga County are still without power, with power restoration scheduled for August 14.
In Lake County, 38,502 households were without power. Power restoration is scheduled for August 15.
In the western part of the area, the company has restored power to all customers in Huron County and reported that 22 customers in Erie County are still without power. Power is expected to be restored by August 10.
Avon Lake Public Library
Due to the storm, the Avon Lake Public Library reported late in the afternoon of August 8 that it was still without power and could not open or operate.
“We expect the power to be back on in a few days,” a press release said. “Our catalog and sales system is down. You cannot access your account.”
“Our book returns are open, but there is no rush to return anything – nothing will be overdue while we are closed.”
There is no access to e-books or download services from services such as Overdrive/Libby, Hoopla or Kanopy, as they also do not have access to your account, the press release states.
“Please stay safe during this difficult time for our community,” the press release said. “We will notify you as soon as we are able to reopen.”
Originally published:
