Tornado confirmed in Delaware County by National Weather Service

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The National Weather Service has confirmed that at one tornado touched down in Delaware County during Wednesday’s wave of severe storms in central Ohio.

The NWS said an EF1 tornado was detected along Fancher Road, between New Albany and Johnstown, with maximum winds estimated to be 90 MPH at 3:56 p.m. Wednesday.

The weather service was still surveying damage in Crawford County and had yet to say, as of 11 a.m., whether a tornado had touched down there.

Bucyrus Police Chief R. Thomas Walker said about 4 p.m. Wednesday the city was struck by what then was perceived to be a possible tornado. The area lost power, and residents were forced to seek shelter due to high winds, powerful rain and flying debris.

Emergency crews were dispatched to assist residents with multiple reports of downed power wires, fallen trees and severe property damage. No injuries were reported.

Officers who spoke with residents said several witnesses observed rotation and the touchdown of a tornado. Police were told the tornado tracked from southeast section of town as it traveled in a northeastern path through Bucyrus.

Bucyrus police asked residents not to tamper with power lines or attempt to remove tree limbs from the roads. City crews and American Electric Power teams are working to clear the streets and restore power. It remains unknown how long the process will take, though it was estimated that power would be restored sometime Thursday.

Northern Franklin and southern Delaware counties were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 6:15 p.m., along with portions of Madison and Union counties. A tornado warning was briefly issued for Licking County for an indication of rotation near Johnstown.

Counties farther north had tornado warnings between 4 and 5 p.m. Bucyrus police confirmed rotation from a tornado warned cell that caused significant damage to powerlines and trees.

This storm is added to an already record Spring for severe weather. Twenty-eight tornados have been confirmed in Ohio this year. The yearly average is twenty-two. Storm Team 4 Meteorologist Ben Gelber has experienced more than 40 Ohio springs. He believes this is a trend in our weather patterns.

“We’ve never seen so many tornadoes so early in the season. And that is a byproduct of an unusually warm winter. Very mild ground, very warm water in the Gulf of Mexico, historic warmth. The Atlantic is as warm as it is in July, even though we’re only in April. So, you have all the ingredients or fuel for storms that we never see so early in the season,” Gelber said.