TOLEDO, Ohio — The all-time record for confirmed tornadoes has now been set in the state of Ohio.
An astounding 63 tornadoes have now been confirmed just before the halfway point in the calendar year. The latest confirmation coming from right here in northwest Ohio in Huron County.
A weak and brief EF-0 tornado was confirmed just north of Willard on Saturday morning, June 29, at 11:02 a.m. his tornado was on the ground for less than a minute and was approximately 25 yards wide. The maximum winds were 80 mph.
This continues an alarming trend of very active severe weather across the country and here locally in Ohio. The count of confirmed tornadoes at 63 now tops the all-time list of tornado confirmations in the state. The previous record was 62 tornadoes set back in 1992.
The year of 1992 was also a memorable year of tornadoes in northwest Ohio. The mid-summer tornadoes on July 12, 1992, caused extensive damage locally. An EF-2 tornado destroyed parts of the Anthony Wayne High School and crossed the Maumee River into Perrysburg. This resulted in over $2.5 million in damage. This was one of over half a dozen tornadoes in our area on that mid-July day.
The new standing record also surpasses last year, when 60 tornadoes were reported in 2023.
That total included the memorable tornado outbreak on June 15, 2023, where a record-setting 12 tornadoes were confirmed in northwest Ohio. Along with the EF-2 tornado in Point Place, two other EF-2 tornadoes in Ottawa and Huron counties respectively were reported.
The most significant damage happened in Point Place. Despite the outbreak of tornadoes, there were no fatalities reported
The tornado season rises in May with the ultimate peak in June. With half the year still left, July and August are certain to add to the record-breaking count so far this year with two more months in the summer season to go.
There is also typically a secondary late-season spike in severe weather in October and November as the sharp seasonal transition to colder autumn weather occurs. Historically, November 2017, 2013 and 2002 have produced outbreaks of tornadoes across the state of Ohio.
The bottom line is that in just six short months, we have broken the all-time record for tornadoes in the state of Ohio with the numbers likely to climb sharply with the entire second half of the year still to come.
Stay with the WTOL 11 Weather Team through the severe weather season and download the free WTOL 11 Weather app to stay alert to severe weather in the future.
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