Strong storms packing heavy rain, lightning, thunder and high winds downed trees across the Greater Cincinnati area, causing damage, power outages and downed trees, according to county dispatchers and the National Weather Service in Wilmington. The area saw tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms, but no fatalities have been reported.
Here’s what we know.
Was there a tornado in Greater Cincinnati?
Sunday’s severe storms, which brought damaging winds and heavy rains to the region, also triggered several tornado warnings and watches from the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
All severe thunderstorm warnings have expired locally. Tornado watches will also expire as the severe threat ends locally.
Due to recent severe weather across the area, the weather service will review damage reports to determine the need for surveys on Monday. No definitive plans have been made at this time.
A final assessment, including the results of any surveys, is expected to be completed and transmitted via a Public Information Statement this week.
Is there damage from Sunday’s storm?
Yes. Butler, Clinton County, Franklin, Hamilton and Warren counties in Ohio and Ripley County in Indiana all had reports of damage.
Cincinnati Camp Cedar, a cabin and RV resort located one mile from Kings Island Amusement Park in Mason, was impacted by the weather. Campers and RVs flipped or blew over. The weather also damaged fences and threw outdoor furniture and equipment.
However, nearby Kings Island did not experience any damage, a spokesperson for the park said.
Damage to the Linda Mobile Home Park, which sits in St. Clair Township about four miles north of Hamilton in Butler County. The Butler County Sheriff’s Office said an estimated 20 mobile homes were damaged, with vinyl siding and roofs torn off, as well as homes that were shifted off their foundation. No injuries were reported. However, several families were displaced from their homes.
Raymond Johnson said he and his fiancée were home at the park at about 9 p.m. when the storm hit his neighborhood. He was back in the bedroom, hanging new closet doors.
“And when it when it came upon us and it started out real quiet and everything, and it happened within seconds,” he said. “And before I knew it, all I heard was a bunch of banging going across the roof. And that was my awning.”
He said his home is in pretty good condition other than the awning,
“A lot of my porch furniture and everything that was underneath the awning was moved around,” he said. “Some of it was tossed into the yard.
“Mine is in good shape compared to a lot of the other homes that’s in here.”
He said some of the mobile homes were pushed 3 to 4 feet off to the side.
Other damage in the Greater Cincinnati area includes:
- In Franklin, near Middletown, a steeple toppled on its side atop Grace Baptist Church.
- Large branches broke off from multiple trees, single damage to home in Mason area.
- Damage to homes in Corwin.
- Trailers overturned in the South Lebanon area.
- Several trees fell down in Caesar Creek State Park and power poles and trees fell down in Harveysburg.
- A pole fell down on Ohio 132 and Kunker.
- Roads became blocked due to downed power lines in Roachester.
- A tree landed on King Avenue before it turns into Grandin Road in Kings Mills.
At least one school district closed due to the storm
The New Miami Local School District is closed Monday due the storm and storm damage, according to its website:
“There will be no transportation to Butler Tech, parochial schools, or outside educational placements. With school closing due to severe weather and storm damage, all athletic practices and games scheduled for Monday have been canceled. If games are rescheduled, we will communicate that out as soon as possible.”
Traffic is also impacted
The Butler County Engineer’s Office reports a traffic advisory on Wayne Madison Road at and near Molson Coors, where eight utility poles are down after last night’s storms. Motorists can expect delays from lane restrictions until further notice.
Choose a different route if possible and check the engineer’s website, Facebook, and X @bceonews for possible date and status changes concerning this advisory.
Power still out for some customers
Around 2,000 Duke Energy customers in the Greater Cincinnati area remain without power Monday morning in the wake of severe storms that barrelled through the region Sunday night. That number dropped to about 1,600 by mid-morning.
According to Duke Energy’s outage map, most of those were in Warren County with 575 customers without power. Butler County still had 345, Clermont County had 239, and Hamilton County had 336. Duke said repairs and damage assessment are underway.
Estimated times of restoration were unknown.
At 11 p.m., Sunday, about 8,000 households across the Cincinnati area had lost power. Areas majorly affected included Cincinnati’s West Side, Blue Ash, Mason, Morrow, Monroe and Lebanon.
Is severe weather in the forecast?
Per a hazardous weather outlook, a few strong to severe storms will be possible Wednesday into Wednesday night. Several additional rounds of showers and storms are expected through Saturday. The repeated rounds of storms and heavy rain may lead to flooding and rises on area waterways.
Share your photos of storm damage using this link and we’ll feature some of them in a gallery at Cincinnati.com.
>>>>Share your storm damage photos here.<<<<
Enquirer media partner Fox 19 contributed to this report. This story will be updated.
