The Cleveland office of the National Weather Service determined that tornadoes touched down Aug. 6 in both Lorain and Lake counties traveling at top estimated speeds of 110 mph.
Initial reports indicated there weren’t any tornadic activity during the rash of severe storms.
However, National Weather Service staff found evidence of two EF1 tornadoes that ripped through the Northeast Ohio area as they conducted storm surveys Aug. 7 and 8, according to Meteorologist Keith Jaszka, of the Cleveland office.
The EF is the acronym for the Enhanced Fujita Scale and is a scale used to assign a tornado a rating based on estimated wind speeds and the damages it causes, Jaszka said.
An EF1 tornado is considered the weakest tornado on the scale that includes winds between 86 and 110 mph, Jaszka said.
“There definitely was a tornado,” he said.
The first tornado formed at 3:45 p.m. near Wedgewood Drive in Avon Lake, where multiple trees were snapped off and a trampoline was lifted into the air from a backyard and landed in the street, according to a report issued by the National Weather Service.
In nearby Sheffield Village, winds from the storm ripped off a roof on a former bar at 5504 Colorado Ave., which is owned by Dennis Urig.
“After the storm, I went back there (to the bar) and the roof was gone,” Urig said. “I wasn’t there when it happened, but I found it.
“(Some of the panels) went about 500 feet, to the other end of the field. What I saw first coming up the road, was the paneling. When I got to the building, I couldn’t see anything until I got around the other side, and everything was gone.”
Urig said he has no plans to repair, but is looking to sell the property.
The bar has been closed for the last four years, he said.
“I’ve had a couple of buyers if I wanted to sell the property,” Urig said. “They would probably tear that down and put houses in.”
As for the tornado, it continued moving east, snapping multiple trees and removing shingles from a roof on Teasel Court, the report stated.
Sporadic tree damage occurred as the tornado continued east into Bay Village, then appeared to grow stronger as it approached the Huntington Beach Reservation where widespread tree damage occurred and numerous trees were twisted, snapped and uprooted near Wolf Road and West Oakland Road, the report stated.
As the tornado continued through the area, multiple structures were damaged due to trees toppling, including one roof that was crushed by a tree on West Oakland Road, according to the report.
As the trees came down, other rooves and multiple sheds were damaged or destroyed, the report stated.
While in Bay Village, it produced more sporadic tree damage before snapping the tops of trees and causing large limbs to break on East Oakland Road with one landing on a structure’s front porch, the report stated.
The twister continued to cause random damage on Laurel Avenue in Rocky River, where a healthy oak tree fell across two homes, the report stated.
Both homes were left with considerable damage, the report noted.
The tornado dissipated at 3:56 p.m. after snapping several healthy oak trees on Wooster Road near Laurel Avenue with one tree falling on a deck which was also destroyed, the report concluded.
The tornado traveled 8.42 miles and its estimated width was 200 yards, Jaszka said.
“It was a relatively prolonged length,” he said of the path of the tornado.
Another twister began at 4:20 p.m. in Kirkland, located in Lake County, and traveled 4.79 miles, also with a 200-yard width, and faded away at 4:25 p.m. in Chesterland, in Geauga County, Jaszka said.
Two others were confirmed for a total of four tornadoes in the northeast part of the state Aug. 6, he said.
Power outages
Thousands of customers remained without power later afternoon Aug. 8 as electric companies made their way through the area repairing downed power lines.
According to Ohio Edison’s website, 12,022 Lorain County customers were without power and the restoration date was extended from Aug. 10 to Aug. 14.
The company reported 170,428 customers in Cuyahoga County still were without power and the restoration date now is scheduled for Aug. 15.
In Ashtabula County, 6,176 remained without power which also is scheduled to be restored Aug. 14.
The company reported 19,894 customers remained without power in Geauga County with an estimated restoration date of Aug. 14.
There were 38,502 customers in Lake County without power, with an estimated restoration date of Aug. 15.
In the western portion of the area, the company had restored power to all customers in Huron County and reported 22 remained without power in Erie County, which is expected to be restored by Aug. 10.
Avon Lake Public Library
Due to the storm, the Avon Lake Public Library reported late afternoon Aug. 8 that it still was without electricity and cannot open or operate.
“We don’t anticipate power coming back for several days,” according to a news release. “Our catalog and circulation system is down. There is no access to your account.
“Our book drop is open, but there is no hurry to return anything — nothing will be overdue while we are closed.”
There is no access to ebooks or downloadable services from services like Overdrive/Libby, hoopla or Kanopy because they also are unable to access your account, the release said.
“Please stay safe during this challenging time for our community,” the release said. “We will notify you as soon as we can reopen.”
