March 14th, 2016 Wheatville, OH Tornado

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
831 PM EDT TUE MAR 15 2016

...ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR TORNADO CONFIRMED NORTHWEST
OF WHEATVILLE IN PREBLE COUNTY OHIO...

LOCATION...NORTHWEST OF WHEATVILLE IN PREBLE COUNTY OHIO 
DATE...MARCH 14 2016
ESTIMATED START TIME...1:38 PM EDT 
ESTIMATED END TIME...1:40 PM EDT 
ESTIMATED START LOCATION...39.6940 N / 84.5835 W
ESTIMATED END LOCATION...39.7105 N / 84.5820 W
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF1
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...100 MPH 
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...75 YARDS
PATH LENGTH...1.1 MILES
* 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 NORTHWEST OF WHEATVILLE IN PREBLE COUNTY OHIO ON
MARCH 14 2016.

DAMAGE WAS FIRST OBSERVED NORTHWEST OF WHEATVILLE ALONG STATE ROUTE
122 BETWEEN QUAKER TRACE ROAD AND YOST ROAD. THIS IS BELIEVED TO BE
WHERE THE TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN. A SECTION OF WOOD AND METAL
ROOFING MATERIAL MEASURING APPROXIMATELY 55 FEET BY 15 FEET WAS
LIFTED FROM THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF A BARN AND STREWN FOR
APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET TO THE NORTHEAST...AND A LESSER DISTANCE TO
THE NORTHWEST. A UTILITY POLE WAS ALSO SNAPPED AT THIS LOCATION.
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS FROM THE RESIDENTS INDICATED THE DAMAGE RESULTED
FROM A VISIBLE CIRCULATION THAT PASSED THROUGH THE PROPERTY. THE
RESIDENTS ALSO POINTED OUT A SECTION OF METAL ROOFING MATERIAL FROM
THIS LOCATION THAT WAS CARRIED APPROXIMATELY 0.35 MILES NORTH-
NORTHEAST AND DEPOSITED IN AN AREA OF TREES. THE DAMAGE HERE WAS
ASSESSED TO BE IN THE MID RANGE EF1 CATEGORY.

A SECOND DEBRIS FIELD WAS FOUND ALONG HALDERMAN ROAD JUST WEST OF
THE INTERSECTION WITH QUAKER TRACE ROAD. A BARN MEASURING
APPROXIMATELY 65 FEET BY 45 FEET WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED JUST SOUTH
OF THE ROAD. WOOD AND METAL ROOFING MATERIAL FROM THIS BARN WAS
STREWN OVER APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF MILE IN A VERY CONFINED PATH. THE
DEBRIS WAS ORIENTED TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST FOR MUCH OF THE TOTAL
DISTANCE...THOUGH AN INITIAL JOG TO THE WEST WAS VISIBLE IN THE
IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE BARN. THE FINAL PIECES OF DEBRIS WERE
VISIBLE IN A FIELD ABOUT ONE-QUARTER MILE NORTH OF HALDERMAN ROAD.
NO FURTHER DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED OR REPORTED NORTH OF THIS
LOCATION...SO THIS AREA IS BELIEVED TO BE WHERE THE TORNADO LIFTED.
A CLOSE INSPECTION OF THE BARN WAS NOT POSSIBLE DUE TO ITS LOCATION
ON PRIVATE PROPERTY...BUT THE VISIBLE DEBRIS AND AVAILABLE AERIAL
IMAGERY INDICATED IT WAS NOT OF NEW CONSTRUCTION. IT IS ALSO UNKNOWN
IF ANY PARTS OF THE STRUCTURE WERE OPEN TO THE WIND PRIOR TO BEING
DESTROYED. FOR THESE REASONS THE DAMAGE AT THIS LOCATION WAS
ALSO ASSESSED TO BE IN THE MID RANGE EF1 CATEGORY.

THANKS IS EXTENDED TO THE AFFECTED HOMEOWNERS FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE
WITH THIS SURVEY.

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.

$$

SHOBE2/AR