While tornadoes have happened in every month in the Buckeye State, June is the most common month for tornadoes to occur. December and January have very low totals for tornado reports, each with fewer than 10 since 1950.
What You Need To Know
- Late spring into early summer is peak tornado season
- Warm air and moisture help to fuel strong storms, often producing tornadoes
- May and July are the second and third most common tornado months
- Over 200 tornadoes have occurred in June in Ohio since 1950
As warmer air arrives in the spring and summer, stronger thunderstorms develop more frequently. When enough low-level wind shear is present, those storms can produce tornadoes. From April to August, tornadoes are not uncommon. However, the peak comes in June.
We had over 200 (219, to be precise) tornadoes from 1950 to 2016 in Ohio. That means, on average, we see around three or four every year. There are years when none have been reported, though. As recently as 2017, no June tornadoes touched down in the state.
Other years have looked very different, with several tornadoes reported in just one day. In 1990, between 8 p.m. on June 2 and 2 a.m. June 3, six tornadoes caused major damage across parts of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
On June 9, 2020, a tornado hit in Miami County near Sugar Grove, courtesy of the remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal. The following day, tornadoes struck Ross and Columbiana Counties. All were EF-0s, the weakest tornadoes on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
On June 5, 2010, five tornadoes touched down, including an EF-4 that ravaged parts of Wood and Ottawa Counties, killing seven people.
Even stronger and deadlier tornadoes have also occurred in June.
In 1924, a tornado hit Sandusky in the late afternoon on June 28, killing eight, before moving across Lake Erie into Lorain, where it killed 64 more people. The tornado also injured about 300 people.
Another outbreak in 1953 produced a tornado on the evening of June 8 that destroyed homes in Wood and Sandusky Counties. Two hours later, another tornado passed just south of Elyria and hit the edge of the airport before moving onto Lake Erie near Cleveland. In total, those tornadoes killed eight people and injured 348. It caused up to F-4 damage (this was before the EF scale became used in 2007).
If you're in a Tornado Warning this season, seek shelter either in a basement or in a strong, sturdy building. Put as many walls between you and the outdoors as possible, usually in a bathroom or closet on the first floor.