Severe Weather & Flooding - February 28, 2011

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
120 PM EST TUE MAR 1 2011

...TORNADO CONFIRMED 3 SSE MILLERSPORT IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY
OHIO...

LOCATION...3 SSE MILLERSPORT IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY OHIO
DATE...FEBRUARY 28 2011
ESTIMATED TIME...556 AM TO 601 AM
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF1
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...105 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...75 YARDS
PATH LENGTH...5.0 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...39.854N / 82.580W
ENDING LAT/LON...39.866N / 82.492W
* FATALITIES...0
* INJURIES...0

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS
STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON OH HAS CONFIRMED A
TORNADO NEAR 3 SSE MILLERSPORT IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY OHIO ON FEBRUARY
28 2011.

-- UPDATED INFORMATION --

BASED ON PHOTOGRAPHS SUBMITTED BY A STORM SPOTTER...CORROBORATED 
WITH RADAR DATA...IT APPEARS THE TORNADO INITIALLY TOUCHED DOWN 
ALONG CANAL ROAD JUST NORTHEAST OF BALTIMORE WHERE A GROVE OF TREES 
ALONG A SMALL CREEK SUSTAINED DAMAGE. TREES WERE SNAPPED OFF AND 
LYING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS IN THIS AREA. THE DAMAGE AT THIS 
LOCATION IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY WINDS AROUND 70 MPH. 
THE TORNADO AT THIS LOCATION WAS LIKELY EF0 INTENSITY. 

THE TORNADO LIKELY LIFTED...OR ONLY INTERMITTENTLY TOUCHED DOWN 
BEFORE IT BECAME FULLY DEVELOPED AS DETAILED BELOW. 

THIS LENGTHENS THE TORNADO TRACK TO 5.0 MILES. IN ADDITION...TIMES 
HAVE BEEN REFINED BASED ON SPOTTER AND RADAR DATA.

-- END OF UPDATED INFORMATION -- 

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN SOUTH OF MILLERSPORT NEAR THE 
INTERSECTION OF MILLERSPORT ROAD AND CANAL ROAD WHERE TREE DAMAGE 
WAS OBSERVED. THE TORNADO THEN CONTINUED EAST-NORTHEAST AND DIRECTLY 
HIT A FARM ON THE NORTH SIDE OF CANAL ROAD. AT THIS LOCATION...METAL 
GRAIN BINS WERE TOSSED AND ROLLED. TREES WERE UPROOTED. A MASONRY 
WALL WAS FLATTENED. NUMEROUS OBJECTS WERE IMPALED INTO THE GROUND. A 
milLY CONSTRUCTED BARN HAD THE ROOF REMOVED...AND NUMEROUS PIECES OF 
SHEET METAL WERE STREWN 300-400 YARDS INTO ADJOINING FIELDS. THE 
TORNADO TRAVELED JUST NORTH OF DUE EAST...WHERE IT NEXT HIT TWO 
RESIDENCES ON LAKE ROAD. 

AT THESE LOCATIONS...A MODULAR HOME HAD ITS ROOF COMPLETELY REMOVED 
AND TOSSED 30 YARDS. TREES WERE UPROOTED.  AT A NEARBY 
RESIDENCE...THE TORNADO COMPLETELY UPROOTED NUMEROUS TREES...LIFTING 
ONE...AND SETTING IT DOWN ADJACENT TO WHERE IT WAS LIFTED FROM THE 
GROUND. A BARN WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED...WITH ITS DEBRIS STREWN 
500+ YARDS THROUGH NEIGHBORING FIELDS AND TREE LINES. AT THIS SECOND 
RESIDENCE...ONE OF THE EXTERIOR WALLS WAS BUCKLED FROM THE WIND 
BLOWING THE DOOR OF THE HOME OPEN...AND FORCING THE WALL TO BUCKLE. 
CORN DEBRIS FROM A NEARBY FIELD WAS DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND. A STICK 
WAS FOUND DRIVEN INTO THE SIDING ON THE FRONT OF THE HOME. MUD 
SPATTER WAS FOUND ON ALL EXTERIOR WALLS OF THE HOME. THE TORNADO 
LIFTED NEAR CATTAIL ROAD...JUST NORTH OF CANAL ROAD WHERE MINOR 
DAMAGE WAS INDICATED.

THE DAMAGE AT THESE LOCATED WIND SPEEDS RANGED FROM 95 TO 105 MPH. 
THIS IS A HIGH-END EF1 TORNADO.

FOR REFERENCE...THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO
THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

EF0...WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH.
EF1...WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH.
EF2...WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH.
EF3...WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH.
EF4...WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH.
EF5...WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH.

$$

BINAU/HATZOS