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Six tornadoes hit western Ohio last weekend near Troy and Wapakoneta

Tornado damage in Wapakoneta, Ohio on April 1, 2023.
Jeff Purvis
An EF1 tornado with winds estimated at 110 MPH hit the Arrowhead Lake resort near Wapakoneta last weekend. Seven people were injured at the resort. It was one of six tornadoes that touched down in the early morning hours of April 1.

Severe storms struck western Ohio this past weekend, with six tornadoes touching down according to a report from the National Weather Service. The strongest, rated an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with estimated winds of 110 MPH, caused injuries at a camping facility just east of Wapakoneta. Two weaker tornadoes were also reported nearby in West Central Ohio at approximately 12:45 a.m on Saturday.

The first of these tornadoes was spotted four miles northwest of St. Marys and traveled for around five miles. The second tornado touched down north of Osgood and traveled for eight miles before lifting two miles northeast of Minster. Both tornadoes were EF0s with maximum winds of 85 MPH and caused minor property damage but no injuries.

National Weather Service Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale)
weather.gov

Several minutes later, three more weak tornadoes touched down in Miami County around 1:00 a.m. One was a few miles west and north of Pleasant Hill. Another tornado dropped just east of the Darke-Miami County line and traveled south of Pleasant Hill and through the northern section of Troy — including the Miami County Fairgrounds and Paul Duke Park. Several homes were damaged before the twister lifted at Deweese Road.

The third tornado dropped in southeast Preble County and traveled east but lifted just as it entered the western part of West Milton. All three tornadoes in Preble and Miami Counties were EFOs with 80 to 85 MPH winds. No injuries were reported.

A chance meeting with a volunteer in a college computer lab in 1987 brought Mike to WYSO. He started filling in for various music shows, and performed various production, news, and on-air activities during the late 1980s and 90s, spinning vinyl and cutting tape before the digital evolution.