Ohio tornado record climbing after confirmed reports in Preble County

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The record number of tornadoes in Ohio continues to grow after it was confirmed one landed in southwestern Ohio late Tuesday afternoon.

According to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio, a “weak tornado” touched down in Preble County, just east of Eaton.

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Details of the event, including wind speed and length of travel, were not immediately available, but the NWS was able to confirm the tornado based on damage reports, photographs and radar data.

It is the 71st recorded tornado in Ohio, which set a record three months ago for the most tornadoes in one year. The old record of 62 in 1992 was broken on June 29 after a confirmed tornado hit Willard, in Huron County.

The historic run of tornadoes, including 23 in May and several tornado-producing storms in central Ohio, is linked to an unusually warm winter, mild ground temperatures, virtually no ice on the Great Lakes (record low extent in the satellite era) and abnormally warm water in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Storm Team 4 Meteorologist Ben Gelber.

All of these ingredients supported unstable air and storm energy farther north, aided by low-level southerly winds, coupled with a strong jet stream carrying El Niño-fueled Pacific storm systems eastward, which amplified the early-starting severe weather season in Ohio and Midwest.

The 71 tornadoes through late September dwarf the average number Ohio sees in a year – 22 – and easily surpassed last year’s mark of 60, which now ranks third overall.