FAYETTE, Ohio — Storms this week brought damage across our area due to high winds, and now the National Weather Service has confirmed the touchdown of a tornado in Fulton County.
The EF1 tornado touched down at 2:40 p.m. Wednesday in Fayette, according to the NWS. The 70-yard wide tornado spent two minutes on the ground and traveled less than a quarter of a mile.
Winds of 85 to 90 miles per hour created damage consistent with an EF0 tornado, but NWS reports an area of EF1 damage was found near the intersection of South Fayette Street and County Road R.
The damage included several large, healthy tree trunks up to 2 feet in diameter snapped in half by the storm. An approximately 10-foot by 1-foot tree branch was thrown 15 yards into the side of a house and damaged a balcony. Sheet metal was lifted 200 yards and damaged the roof of a Fayette school building.
The National Weather Service classifies tornadoes by windspeed using the following categories of the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale:
- EF0 (Weak): 65 to 85 mph
- EF1 (Weak): 86 to 110 mph
- EF2 (Strong): 111 to 135 mph
- EF3 (Strong): 136 to 165 mph
- EF4 (Violent): 166 to 200 mph
- EF5 (Violent): 200 mph
