DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Multiple tornadoes hit the Miami Valley during the evening of Memorial Day on May 27 and into the early morning of May 28. The tornadoes killed two people and caused an estimated $1 billion in damage.
According to the National Weather Service, 19 tornadoes were confirmed in Ohio as part of the outbreak – most were in the Miami Valley.
THE CELINA TORNADO
10:02 p.m.: The EF3 tornado that hit Celina touched down west of the city near Township Line Road and Bunker Hill Road, according to the National Weather Service. It traveled west into Celina along Fairground Road.
The tornado tore the metal roofs off several barns and blew down a 300-foot tall free-standing cellular tower
Dale Hanna, 82, was killed while sleeping in his house on Fairground Road when a car was blown into his home.
The tornado continued into two subdivisions where several cars were lifted off the ground and thrown and at least two dozen homes suffered severe damage, including one building which was lifted and moved 70 yards. The National Weather Service reported the tornado left damage indicative of 140-150 MPH winds and of multiple vortices within the tornado itself.
The EF3 Celina tornado ended at 10: 17 p.m. near the community of Neptune after it had crossed US 127. The tornado was 250 yards wide. It took down 100-yard swaths of trees in several areas and was on the ground for 15 minutes while traveling 11 miles.
THE WEST MILTON TORNADO
10:25 p.m.: An EF3 tornado touched down near West Milton, causing damage at an intersection near Stocker Road in Darke County. The tornado then traveled east lifting trees.
The damage became more significant as the tornado moved toward West Milton. Buildings and homes near Wright and Markley roads had structural damage. On Range Line Road near the Ohio 571 intersection, homes suffered major structural damage and were rendered uninhabitable with exterior wall collapse and roof removal. The tornado moved east across Ohio 55 with a path .75 miles wide. It weakened after passing Keller Road and turning to the southeast, where it’s damage path narrowed before it dissipated.
The National Weather Service survey reported the tornado caused a long path of EF2 damage and EF3 damage in the Range Line Road area. It dissipated at 10:44 p.m. after traveling 10.8 miles across from Darke into Miami County. It was on the ground for 19 minutes.
THE EF4 DAYTON TORNADO
10:41 p.m.: An EF4 tornado touched down to the west side of Brookville. It immediately inflicted damage on the west and south sides of Brookville consistent with a high-end EF2 tornado, according to the National Weather Service. Brookville High School had significant damage, other buildings and homes suffer wall collapses and have their roofs blown away.
The tornado headed east toward Trotwood and grew to an EF3. Buildings in Trotwood suffered significant and widespread damage across several neighborhoods and subdivisions.
The tornado inflicted high-end EF3 damage with wind speeds of 150 to 165 MPH from Shiloh Springs Road and Westbrook Road to Turner Road. The historic Hara Arena had catastrophic damage. As it traveled to Riverside Drive and near the Stillwater River, the tornado grew to an EF4. The National Weather Service found significant damage in the area, including well-built apartment buildings with complete roof removal and exterior wall removal. Trees in the area were de-barked and nubbed down to the trunk along the Stillwater River east of Riverside Drive.
The tornado moved southeast into Old North Dayton and Northridge, where it crossed I-75 near Wagner Ford Road. The Northridge Shopping Center was destroyed and the Trackside Hotel – located on the east side of the interstate – is also destroyed. A Marathon gas station on Wagner Ford on the eastern side of the highway is flattened. Northridge’s Grafton Kennedy Elementary had major damage with walls on the west side of the school building collapsed. The residential neighborhood south of Wagner Ford is hit hard with most homes suffering roof removal and other severe damage.
The tornado entered Riverside and its strength began to fall to an EF1. The National Weather Service report stated the tornado lifted from the ground just west of the Greene County line.
Hours before the tornado hit, Catherine Clayburn was reported missing. Her body is found over a week later under piles of brush and debris next to a creek connected to the Stillwater River.
The EF4 tornado ended just west of the Greene County Line at 11:13 p.m. It was on the ground for 20 miles and left devastation a half-mile wide.
10:47 p.m.: An EF0 tornado developed south of Troy from the same storm that caused the tornado near West Milton. According to the National Weather Service, it damaged a residence on Monroe-Concord Road and knocked down dozens of trees in a subdivision south of Swailes Road. It also damaged a barn on County Road 25A.
After Crossing Ohio 202, the tornado dissipated at 11:03 p.m. near Ohio 41. The tornado traveled 5.7 miles and had a maximum width of 200 yards. It was on the ground for 16 minutes, according to the National Weather Service.
11:08 p.m.: An EF0 tornado appeared in Elizabeth Township in Miami County, along Ohio 41 just south of Alcony Road. The tornado uprooted and snapped several trees before quickly dissipating. It was on the ground for a minute (11:09 p.m.) traveling at 70 mph for 50 yards.
THE BEAVERCREEK TORNADO
11:12 p.m.: An EF3 tornado hit the ground near the Page Manor subdivision in Riverside. The tornado crossed the Greene County soon after and left a continuous path of damage in an eastern direction across Northern Beavercreek and into Xenia Twp.
The National Weather Service reported homes near I-675 and Grange Hall Road had significant damage with exterior wall collapse and roofs blown away, consistent with an EF3 tornado. Homes along Gardenview and Wendover drives had windows shattered, garage doors collapsed and entire roof structures removed.
Downed power lines shut down Beavercreek businesses while entire subdivisions were blocked off due to hundreds of downed trees.
The tornado caused damage along Fairground, Beaver Valley and Ludlow Roads and into Xenia Twp.
The EF3 tornado ends near US 68 in Xenia Twp at 11:32 p..m. after it inflicted heavy damage on Beavercreek. The tornado was a maximum .7 miles wide and traveled 10 miles.
11:19 p.m.: An EF0 tornado appeared near Phillipsburg around the Montgomery County and Miami County line. The tornado damaged farm equipment along Ohio 721 and caused roof damage to some homes and buildings. The tornado threw a grain bin into a field near North Diamond Mill Road.
The tornado dissipated at 11:24 p.m. It was on the ground six minutes, was a maximum 50 yards wide with a 80 mph wind speed.
11:34 p.m.: An EF2 tornado touched down south of I-70, near Little York Road and Dog Leg Roads in Butler Twp., according to the National Weather Service. The tornado, with maximum winds of 135 mph, traveled just a few miles north of the storm path of the EF4 tornado that traveled from Brookville to Riverside.
The quarter-mile wide tornado removed roofs off homes in the Cricket Lane and Coppersmith Avenue areas. The tornado removed trees as it traveled across I-75 as an EF1, causing damages to several businesses.
The tornado that traveled through Butler County and across I-75 and dissipated at 11:32 p.m. after being on the ground for 11 minutes and 7.6 miles.
THE JAMESTOWN TORNADOES
11:48 p.m.: A tornado landed near Lackey Road outside of Jamestown. One home on Paullin Road had damage to its siding while one home on Watkins Road had its windows blown out.
The tornado dissipated at 11:57 p.m. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado was on the ground for nine minutes, with maximum winds of 105 mph. It was 250 yards wide.
12:23 a.m.: An EF2 tornado touches down on South Charleston Road northeast of Jamestown. The tree damaged large trees on both sides of the road and destroys a shed behind a house. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado heavily damages a two-story home on Rogers Road, destroying the roof and caving in walls on the top story of the home.
The tornado ended at 12:32 a.m. and was on the ground nine minutes and for 4.2 miles. It’s maximum wind speed was 120 mph with a path 250 yards.
