Weak Tornadoes - March 23, 2012

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
1218 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012

...TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR HARLAN TOWNSHIP IN WARREN COUNTY OHIO...

LOCATION...HARLAN TOWNSHIP IN WARREN COUNTY OHIO
DATE...03/23/12
ESTIMATED TIME...730 PM EDT 
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF0 
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...75 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...50 YARDS
PATH LENGTH...0.5 MILES 
BEGINNING LAT/LON...39.321766N/84.070344W
ENDING LAT/LON...39.325949/84.064014W
* 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 HARLAN TOWNSHIP IN WARREN COUNTY OHIO ON 03/23/12.

A BRIEF AND WEAK TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN VERY NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF
HIGHWAYS 123 AND 132 IN HARLAN TOWNSHIP IN WARREN COUNTY. THIS
TORNADO CAUSED DAMAGE TO A POLE BARN...WHERE ROOFING WAS MOSTLY
REMOVED AND STREWN DOWNSTREAM ABOUT A QUARTER OF A MILE. SEVERAL
TWO-BY-FOURS FROM THE POLE BARN WERE FOUND ABOUT 50 YARDS UPSTREAM
OF THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE TORNADO...AND WERE DRIVEN INTO
THE LEFT-FRONT CORNER OF THE ROOF OF THE RESIDENCE WHERE THE BARN
WAS DAMAGED. MUCH OF THE REST OF THE TORNADO DAMAGE WAS TO
SOFTWOOD PINE TREES...WITH SEVERAL TREES UPROOTED...SNAPPED OFF...
AND ORIENTED IN A CONVERGENT MANNER TOWARD THE PATH OF THE CENTER
OF THE CIRCULATION. THE TORNADO LIFTED IN A WOODED AREA TO THE
EAST OF HIGHWAY 132. 

EYEWITNESS REPORTS THROUGH WARREN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TO
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SMALL TORNADO ON THE
GROUND IN THIS AREA...WITH MATERIAL BEING LIFTED INTO THE AIR. 

THE DAMAGE IS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF0 TORNADO. REPORTS OF TREE
DAMAGE TO THE NORTH ON MIDDLEBORO ROAD IN WARREN COUNTY WERE
DEEMED TO BE FROM NON-TORNADIC WINDS.

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.

$$