Hello, everyone. Meteorologist Nick Dunn here with you updating you on damage from Saturday’s storms. The last few weeks have certainly been a bit busy with multiple round of rain and thunderstorms. Yesterday was no exception across Ohio. However, the Miami Valley dodged the severe weather. One tornado took place in Defiance, Ohio, on Saturday.
The tornado took place just after 2:15 PM to the southwest of the city of Defiance. It was on the ground for six minutes and was only a couple football field wide. However, as we know size does not always equal damage. Maximum winds were rated at 95 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
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There was a severe thunderstorm warning for the area when the tornado was on the ground. The storm had the capability of producing winds to 60 miles per hour based on what the warning stated at the time. So, why was there no tornado warning? Let’s discuss how radar works.
The radar in this area is best served by North Webster, Indiana. This is about 75 miles away from Defiance, which means the lowest tilt from the radar is scanning about 5,000 feet above the ground. Due to the curvature of the Earth, the radar scan shoots straight out.
Not seeing the lowest one to two thousand feet of a storm can prove to be tricky at times when it comes to the warning decisions. Thus, some tornado warnings are not issued if rotation is not strong enough on radar to warrant them and if there are no real-time reports.
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The tornado from Defiance is their second in about a week and brings the total for Ohio this year to 10. Here in the Miami Valley, we currently have 3 of those 10 that took place on March 11th in Shelby and Auglaize Counties. Thankfully, we have quieter weather on the way for a few days when it comes to severe weather.
