August 12, 2023 Severe Weather

A shortwave trough moved across the eastern Great Lakes during the day Saturday as a cold front pushed southeast toward the area. Moderate to strong instability developed quickly by late Saturday morning with 3500-4000 J/kg of SBCAPE, 1500-2500 J/kg of MLCAPE, and 40-50 knots of deep-layer wind shear across most of the area by 16Z. A kitchen sink of threats was expected with damaging wind gusts, large hail, tornadoes, and heavy rain all possibilities. In anticipation of this threat, a large portion of the area was placed under an Enhanced Risk (risk level 3/5) for severe weather from the Storm Prediction Center with a Slight Risk (risk level 2/5) for nearly everywhere else.

Thunderstorms initiated just to the southwest of the area before filling in and moving east across much of northern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania. Despite the atmosphere being worked over with the initial round, additional (weaker) thunderstorms developed as the cold front pushed southeast across the area later in the afternoon into the early evening. The most notable storm was a supercell that developed and produced a tornado over Kenton, OH (Hardin County) and tracked east across Marion, southern Richland/Ashland, and into Holmes County, producing sporadic tornadic damage and a couple of visual tornado reports in western Marion County near La Rue. Other reports of funnel clouds were received across Richland and Ashland Counties, but with damage limited to tree damage due to non-tornadic winds with the parent thunderstorm. Another brief EF-0 tornado occurred in Holmes County from this storm. Another supercell thunderstorm prompted tornado warnings in Portage and Mahoning Counties. While the thunderstorm produced a large, rotating wall cloud no tornadic damage was found in either county. Large hail up to golf ball sized and sporadic tree damage did still result from that storm.

Despite the extremely favorable instability and dynamics, wind damage and hail reports were limited to three main swaths: along the lakeshore of north-central Ohio, damage from Marion County to Holmes County associated with the tornadic supercell, and some wind damage and large hail across Portage and Mahoning counties with the second strong supercell thunderstorm. Torrential rainfall rates and repeated rounds of rain prompted a few Flood Advisories and Flash Flood Warnings.