Tornado in West Milton, OH - May 27, 2019

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
National Weather Service Wilmington OH
827 PM EDT Thu May 30 2019

...EF3 TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR WEST MILTON...

Location...near West Milton in Darke/Miami Counties OH
Date...........................May 27 2019
Start Time.....................1025 PM EDT
End Time.......................1044 PM EDT
Maximum EF-Scale Rating........EF3
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...140 MPH
Maximum Path Width.............0.75 miles
Path Length....................10.8 miles
Beginning Lat/Lon...39.9759N / 84.4679W
Ending Lat/Lon......39.9725N / 84.2700W
* Fatalities........0
* Injuries..........1

...Summary...
The National Weather Service in Wilmington Ohio has confirmed an
EF3 tornado near West Milton, affecting portions of Darke and
Miami counties in Ohio. This tornado had initially been confirmed
as an EF2 tornado with winds of 130 MPH. Based on further analysis
of the damage, the rating has been changed to EF3, with winds of
140 MPH.

Damage from this tornado is believed to have begun near the
intersection of Schnorf-Jones Road and Stocker Road in Darke
County, just over a mile southeast of Pitsburg. From here, the
tornado traveled east, affecting West River Red Grove Road. Damage
along these roads was generally limited to trees.

As the tornado crossed east into Miami County, damage became more
significant. Tree damage was a little more extensive on State
Route 721 south of Laura. Structural damage began to occur near
the intersection of Wright Road and Markley Road, with partial
roof loss to an outbuilding. On Ditmer Road and South Shiloh Road,
nearly every property sustained tree damage, some of which was
significant.

As the tornado neared State Route 571, it continued to intensify,
and structural damage became much more severe. Several homes on
State Route 571 between South Shiloh Road and South Range Line
Road were rendered uninhabitable. Many homes had at least partial
roof removal, some with complete roof removal. A few homes
suffered the collapse of some exterior walls, and while this was
more common with garage walls, it also occurred on a few well-
built walls away from garages. At one home, a lawn tractor was
thrown out into the adjacent field to the northeast.

Damage was very similar across the field on South Range Line
Road. Two homes experienced complete roof removal, with one also
having walls collapse on multiple sides of the second story of the
home. Mud splatter on all sides of structures was significant,
and one vehicle interior was largely covered in mud after the
failure of the rear window. Another home lost a significant
portion of the roof, as well as losing quite a bit of material
from an interior wall after the winds had entered the structure.
Residents at this home sheltered in an interior bathroom, whose
interior walls provided an extra layer of protection. The rotating
winds of the tornado were very obvious on this north-to-south
oriented road. Along the northern portion of the tornado track,
one home lost its entire roof and had it deposited hundreds of
feet into the field to the west -- opposite the direction of
motion of the tornado. Along the southern portion of the tornado
track, debris accumulated across the field along a tree line over
a quarter mile away to the east.

The width of this tornado was most evident as it passed east
across Elleman Road. Damage was observed as far south as the
intersection with State Route 571, and as far north as several
spots along State Route 55. While the damage on State Route 55 was
primarily to roofing material and trees, more significant
structural damage continued to be observed a little further south
on Elleman Road.

The tornado maintained its intensity as it crossed State Route 48
about a mile and a half north of downtown West Milton. Tree
damage was severe along this road, with canopy loss even to trees
that remained standing. Many structures were heavily damage or
destroyed. The only known injury from this tornado occurred when a
trailer home was flipped over. A resident inside suffered broken
ribs and went to the hospital for treatment before being released.
A well-built brick home suffered the collapse of large portions
of the west-facing and south-facing walls, with near-complete roof
removal. A garage adjacent to this property was flattened. A
trailer home just to the south was completely destroyed, with the
failure of nearly all exterior walls and even some interior walls.
The residents of this trailer home sheltered in an interior
bathroom, and the walls to that bathroom ended up being completely
exposed as the last walls standing on three of four sides. Debris
from these homes and structures carried about a half mile across
the field, stopped only by the tree line from traveling further.

Widespread tree damage and moderate structural damage continued
to be observed as the tornado moved east across Calumet Road,
Kessler-Frederick Road, and Kessler Road. One home on Kessler Road
lost its entire roof, and a full-size camper was thrown and
wedged against the garage.

The tornado weakened considerably after passing Kessler Road,
where it is believed to have turned from the east to the
southeast. Damage observed on Nashville Road south of West Kessler
Cowlesville Road was limited to trees, and it is believed that
the tornado dissipated somewhere in this vicinity.

This tornado was responsible for a lengthy swath of EF2 level
damage -- generally 120-130 MPH -- extending from State Route 571
to Kessler Road. However, damage to a few homes on State Route
571, South Range Line Road, and State Route 48 was notably more
significant, with a combined degree of roof loss and exterior wall
collapse that warrants an estimate of 140 MPH winds -- within the
EF3 category.

The National Weather Service would like to thank Miami County
Emergency Management for their assistance with this survey.

EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the
following categories:

EF0...Weak......65 to 85 mph
EF1...Weak......86 to 110 mph
EF2...Strong....111 to 135 mph
EF3...Strong....136 to 165 mph
EF4...Violent...166 to 200 mph
EF5...Violent...>200 mph

* The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to
change pending final review of the event and publication in NWS
Storm Data.

$$

HATZOS/CORDIE