Power Outage in Wooster, OH

Power pole snapped along OH-83, about five-miles west of Apple Creek.

An Arctic cold front swept through the area around 1 AM December 23rd. Low pressure along this front tracked over Lake Erie early in the morning on December 23rd and rapidly intensified through the day while slowly lifting northeast across Ontario. With the frontal passage rain changed to snow with temperatures dropping from the upper 30s and lower 40s to sub-zero in about 8 hours. A period of light to moderate snow occurred behind this cold front through the early morning hours of December 23rd. The period of snow and rapidly falling temperatures led to a flash freeze and icy conditions on area roadways. While the falling snow became lighter through the daytime hours of December 23rd, winds began increasing during the pre-dawn hours and gusted over 40 MPH through the day. A peak wind gust of 51 MPH was clocked at Wayne County Regional Airport at 10:50 AM December 23rd. Scattered power-outages were reported with some lasting several hours, which along with the cold led to localized water disruptions and the opening of a warming center at the Salvation Army in Wooster. Wind gusts very gradually subsided into December 24th, though gusts didn���t drop below 30 MPH until that evening. This led to a prolonged period of widespread blowing and drifting snow beginning early in the morning December 23rd and continuing through the afternoon and evening, with some patchy blowing and drifting snow continuing all the way through Christmas Eve. The greatest impact from this storm was to travel due to the flash freeze and extensive blowing and drifting snow, to go along with low visibility. Approximately 100 minor accidents, slide-offs and disabled vehicles were reported throughout the county December 23rd and 24th with several of these accidents resulting in at least minor injuries. The Wayne County Sheriff declared a Level 2 snow emergency the morning of December 23rd which was not lifted until the next day. This strongly discourages all non-essential travel on county roadways. Wind chills plunged below 0 around 5 AM December 23rd and did not warm back above 0 until early in the morning December 26th. A minimum wind chill of -36F was reported by Wayne County Regional Airport at 12:19 PM December 23rd. A mesonet station in Dalton recorded a wind chill of -37F at 11:00 AM. A number of burst pipes were reported across central and northern Ohio due to this cold, with temperatures remaining in the single digits until Christmas morning. A trained spotter near Doylestown measured 2.0��� of snow with this storm.

Several large trees and power poles downed about three-miles SSW of Wooster.

US-250 at Oil City Road closed in Franklin Township due to downed power lines.

Minor wind damage was reported in portions of Wayne County due to wind gusts up to 50 mph. Trees and power lines were noted down in portions of Smithville, prompting Smucker Road, east of Apple Creek Road, to be closed for a couple day. An automated wind sensor at Wayne County Airport measured a peak non-thunderstorm wind gust of 45 mph.

Wayne County Airport reported a 61 mph wind gust at 11:19 am local time. Several trees and power lines were reported down across the entire area, including in Orrville and Wooster. Scattered power outages were reported in the area.

A thunderstorm downburst with winds estimated to be more that 60 mph caused some damage in West Union Township. Most of the damage occurred along Millborne Road where four properties sustained minor damage. One house had a screened porch damaged and an adjacent house had a portion of a fence knocked down by a flying trampoline. Two other homes sustained minor damage from fallen trees. Several trees and large limbs in the area were downed resulted in power outages.

Straight line winds caused an extensive portion of a roof to be torn off of a barn, with additional roof and wall damage to other buildings. A couple power poles were also brought down by the wind.

High winds downed a few trees across Wayne County. Damage to a home and fence was reported. A few power outages were reported.

A few power lines were downed across the county.

A wind gust of 62 mph was measured during this event. Numerous power outages were also reported at this time. Many homes sustained damage, mainly from lost roofing or siding.

A mixture of freezing rain and sleet fell on Wayne County during the early morning hours of February 1st. More than a quarter inch of ice accumulation was reported by daybreak. A second round of freezing rain and drizzle began during the afternoon hours and continued into the early morning hours of the 2nd. Some sleet mixed with the freezing rain at times. A few power outages resulted from the freezing rain early on the 1st. Power outages were more numerous on 2nd. Wrap around snow behind the low affected northern Ohio during the daylight hours of the 2nd. Some of the snow was locally heavy with visibilities at times less than a quarter mile. Much of the area saw between one and three inches of snow. The snow quickly ended from west to east during the evening hours. Strong winds also accompanied the precipitation. Many schools were closed on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd because of residual thick ice on parking lots, sidewalks and secondary roads. This ice resulted from the combination of two days of mixed freezing rain, sleet and snow and was up to two inches thick in some areas. Removing the ice from sidewalks and driveways was nearly impossible.

A tornado touched down in Wayne County two miles southwest of downtown Wooster around 5:26 pm. This tornado strengthened to EF2 intensity and continued on the ground for over 11 miles before finally lifting two miles west of Dalton. Extensive damage occurred along the damage path with dozens of homes and buildings damaged. After the initial touchdown, the tornado quickly intensified to an EF2 as it continued on the ground to the east northeast. The tornado crossed Prairie Lane and Timken Road and then moved across St. Mary's Cemetery. Damage at the cemetery was extensive with 80 of 81 large trees knocked down and over two hundred gravestones broken or toppled. From the cemetery, the tornado crossed Madison Avenue and moved across the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). Significant damage occurred on the OADRC campus with several buildings severely damaged. A laboratory in one the buildings was destroyed. Two historic homes on the property sustained significant roof damage and several greenhouses were destroyed. Two barns and a machine shop were also leveled. The 102 year old Secrest Arboretum on the campus lost over 800 trees and many research projects were damaged or destroyed. The tornado tossed and destroyed several vehicles and a lot of farm machinery was also damaged or destroyed. From the OARDC campus, the tornado continued east along Secrest Road damaging or destroying several homes and buildings. The tornado weakened to EF1 intensity as it crossed Sylvan Road and to an EF0 as it crossed Barnard Road. The tornado then remained either an EF0 or EF1 until it lifted near the intersection of Kidron Road and Old Lincoln Way just west of Dalton. A total of nine homes were either destroyed or sustained major damage. Another 90 homes sustained lesser amounts of damage. In addition, at least 50 barns, garages and other outbuildings were damaged of destroyed. Thousands of trees were also toppled along the damage path which was up to 150 yards in width. Twenty eight utility poles were knocked down in Wooster alone and high tension transmission lines were also torn down by the tornado. The downed transmission lines affected four substations and resulted in around a third of Wayne County loosing power right after the tornado. The OARDC campus was closed for over a week and two local school districts had to close on September 17th because of the power outages. Only one very minor injury was reported.

A tornado touched down in Wayne County two miles southwest of downtown Wooster around 5:26 pm. This tornado strengthened to EF2 intensity and continued on the ground for over 11 miles before finally lifting two miles west of Dalton. Extensive damage occurred along the damage path with dozens of homes and buildings damaged. After the initial touchdown, the tornado quickly intensified to an EF2 as it continued on the ground to the east northeast. The tornado crossed Prairie Lane and Timken Road and then moved across St. Mary's Cemetery. Damage at the cemetery was extensive with 80 of 81 large trees knocked down and over two hundred gravestones broken or toppled. From the cemetery, the tornado crossed Madison Avenue and moved across the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). Significant damage occurred on the OADRC campus with several buildings severely damaged. A laboratory in one the buildings was destroyed. Two historic homes on the property sustained significant roof damage and several greenhouses were destroyed. Two barns and a machine shop were also leveled. The 102 year old Secrest Arboretum on the campus lost over 800 trees and many research projects were damaged or destroyed. The tornado tossed and destroyed several vehicles and a lot of farm machinery was also damaged or destroyed. From the OARDC campus, the tornado continued east along Secrest Road damaging or destroying several homes and buildings. The tornado weakened to EF1 intensity as it crossed Sylvan Road and to an EF0 as it crossed Barnard Road. The tornado then remained either an EF0 or EF1 until it lifted near the intersection of Kidron Road and Old Lincoln Way just west of Dalton. A total of nine homes were either destroyed or sustained major damage. Another 90 homes sustained lesser amounts of damage. In addition, at least 50 barns, garages and other outbuildings were damaged of destroyed. Thousands of trees were also toppled along the damage path which was up to 150 yards in width. Twenty eight utility poles were knocked down in Wooster alone and high tension transmission lines were also torn down by the tornado. The downed transmission lines affected four substations and resulted in around a third of Wayne County loosing power right after the tornado. The OARDC campus was closed for over a week and two local school districts had to close on September 17th because of the power outages. Only one very minor injury was reported.

A strong cold front moved across Wayne County around midday on December 9th. A cluster of showers developed in advance of this front and produced brief wind gusts in excess of 50 mph. Southwest winds behind the front rapidly increased during the afternoon hours with peak gusts of around 60 mph reported late in the day. Winds continued to gust to as much as 50 mph through 10 pm. A 55 mph wind gust was measured at the Wayne County Airport near Wooster at 1:50 pm. The high winds downed trees, utility poles and power lines in Wayne County. Scattered power outages were reported. Some homes and buildings in the county sustained minor damage. Most of this was from lost siding or roofing. Some of this damage was associated with the showers that moved through early in the afternoon.

A strong cold front moved across Wayne County during the evening of February 11th. West to southwest winds gusted to more than 60 mph behind the front. A peak gust of 63 mph was measured at the Wayne County Airport at 1:34 am. Winds finally diminished a couple hours before daybreak on the 12th. Hundreds of trees and a few utility poles were downed in the county causing scattered power outages. Many buildings in the county sustained damage. Most of this was from lost shingles, but a few buildings lost gutters or sections of siding.

Snow began during the afternoon hours of the 27th, and continued overnight and through the morning of the 28th. The snow finally tapered off during the afternoon of the 28th. However, during the early morning hours, the snow changed over to freezing rain and lasted for about a three to four hour period. As the low pressure pulled away from the area, colder air moved back into the area changing the freezing rain back to snow during the mid morning hours. Snowfall accumulations were in the 5.0 to 9.0 inch range, but freezing rain accumulated to around a quarter of an inch, especially over southern portions of the county. Trained spotters in Doylestown and just north of Wooster both measured 8.5 inches of snow. A spotter just north of Kidron only measured 5.8 inches of snow for the event. Fortunately there were no major problems such as widespread power outages or downed trees with the freezing rain, however, many accidents were reported. Gusty westerly winds accompanied the precipitation and caused some blowing and drifting snow.

Precipitation began as a mix of sleet and freezing rain during the overnight hours of the 19th. The freezing rain continued for a few hours prior to daybreak, and trained spotters reported about a quarter inch of ice across the area. Temperatures were near freezing, and rose above freezing around daybreak allowing for much of the ice to quickly melt. With temperatures rising above freezing, impacts from the ice were minimal in the area. A few accidents were reported, but no significant power outages.

High winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ike began during the late afternoon hours of September 14th and continued for most of the evening. Peak wind gusts were estimated to be around 60 mph with the strongest winds occurring between 5 and 7 pm. Damage in the county was extensive with hundreds of trees and many utility poles downed. In Doylestown, a couple was injured when a falling tree crushed part of their house. Widespread power outages occurred in Wayne County with some customers without power for several days. Homes and buildings were damaged throughout the county. The damage ranged from a few shingles torn off to significant structural damage caused by fallen trees landing on roofs. Numerous vehicles were damaged by fallen trees and limbs and also from flying debris. This storm hampered travel as downed trees and power lines forced the closure of many roads. Substantial clean up costs were incurred by local governments. Many of the schools in the county were forced to close on Monday the 15th because of the power outages. Significant crop losses occurred as well. Corn yields were reduced between 3 and 5 percent in many areas with lesser losses to the soybean crop.

Freezing rain began in Wayne County during the morning hours of March 4th. The freezing rain continued into the evening hours with a brief lull during the early afternoon hours. Conditions quickly deteriorated after sunset as surface temperatures dropped off a few degrees. Over a quarter inch of ice accumulation was reported by early evening with up to a half inch of accumulation for the entire event. The precipitation eventually changed to light snow around midnight on the 5th. The snow finally ended around daybreak on the 5th. Many accidents and a few power outages were reported during this event. Some trees and limbs were reported down across the county as well.

Snow spread into Wayne County during the evening hours of February 11th and continued through midday on the 12th. At that time, the precipitation transitioned to freezing rain. The freezing rain ended during the early evening hours of the 12th. Three to five inches of snow was reported across the county along with up to a quarter inch of ice accumulation. Many accidents and a few power outages were reported. A cooperative observer near Wooster reported 4.0 inches of snow along with some freezing rain.

Power lines were reported down countywide.

Several trees and power lines were reported down throughout the county.

Freezing rain spread into Wayne County during the early morning hours of March 15th. The freezing rain transitioned to light snow around daybreak. Around a quarter inch of ice accumulated along with a dusting of snow. A few power outages and accidents were reported.

Hundreds of trees, large limbs, utility poles and power lines were reported down across the county as severe thunderstorms moved across Wayne County during the late afternoon hours of the 22nd. Damage in the City of Wooster was especially bad with many homes damaged by fallen trees. At least 20,000 homes lost power as a result of the storms. It took several days for power to be restored to all areas. Many roads in Wooster and elsewhere in the county had to be closed because of the fallen trees and power lines. A country club in Wooster spent nearly $100,000 cleaning up 189 downed trees on it's property. Near Dalton, a home, barn and silo were damaged by thunderstorm winds. Tree damage in Wooster was as extensive as that seen after a tornado hit the city on November 12th, 2003.

A severe thunderstorm tracked east across Wayne County during the evening of the 10th. The thunderstorms took down numerous trees, large limbs, and power lines along a path from just south of Congress through Wooster to around Orrville. A large tree was reported to have fallen onto a house, and another fell onto a car. Some of the damaged utility poles caught on fire. The most concentrated reports of damage came from an area from the northern side of Wooster to as far north as Smithville. Some of the areas affected during this event were coincidently hit by a tornado on November 12, 2003.

Several large trees along with power lines were reported down.

Numerous trees, large limbs, and powers lines were reported down across the county.

Numerous large limbs down along with power lines.

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Wayne County and downed hundreds of trees. Scattered power outages were also reported. The most significant damage in the county occurred in Chippewa and Milton Townships where several homes and vehicles were damaged. A few other homes were damaged elsewhere in the county.

A tornado touched down southwest of Wooster near the intersection of U.S. Route 250 and Old Lincoln Highway (County Road 30A). Several businesses were heavily damaged near the site of the initial touchdown. The tornado then crossed State Route 302 and moved over open farmland and into a business park on the southwest side of Wooster. Several more business were damaged in this area. The tornado continued east through residential neighborhoods just north of downtown Wooster. The tornado exited the city near the intersection of State Routes 3/83 and 585. A factory near this location was heavily damaged. The tornado continued east into Green Township and strengthened to F2 intensity at it crossed Geyers Road. Two more businesses were heavily damaged in this area. The tornado weakened to F1 intensity just after severely damaging a home on Canal Road near Eby Road. The tornado continued across open farmland for another four miles before finally lifting just southwest of Orrville near the intersection of Back Orrville Road and North Crown Hill Road. The damage path was around 12 miles in length and up to 125 yards in width. Around 15 businesses and over 100 homes were damaged by this tornado. Ten semi trailers were overturned at one factory and over 30 cars heavily damaged at an automobile dealership. Many other automobiles were damaged along the damage path. In addition, hundreds of trees and dozens of power poles were downed.

A warm frontal boundary containing very moist air and dew points near 70 degrees lifted north across Ohio during the evening of June 4. Several mini-supercells developed and moved north from central Ohio producing little if any lightning. One of these storms produced a downburst in Wayne County southeast of Reedsburg. This downburst contained 80 to 90 mph winds and ripped off an extensive section of a barn roof. Minor damage to the roofs and walls of other buildings on the property was also sustained. Several power lines and poles were brought down by the storm.

Heavy rain and runoff from snowmelt caused extensive flooding in Holmes and Wayne Counties during the first half of January. The flooding was most severe along and near Killbuck Creek which went into flood around midday on January 3rd. Heavy rain and freezing rain fell on the 5th and 6th causing the creek to reach it's highest level in 26 years at Killbuck. A peak crest of 18.17 feet was reached late in the evening on the 6th. Rainfall totals for the two day storm included 2.16 inches at Millersburg; 2.64 inches at Nashville and 1.88 inches at Berlin, all in Holmes County. Flooding at Killbuck was classified as major with evacuations beginning along Water Street around sunset on the 5th. Extensive flooding also occurred on the south side of Millersburg with 25 homes evacuated in two mobile home parks on South Washington Street. Killbuck Creek finally went back below flood stage early on the 16th. A large landslide occurred along State Route 39 just east of Walnut Creek. Three people had to be rescued near Glenmont after a small bridge over Black Creek collapsed. Dozens of roads, including US. Highway 62, State Route 60 and State Route 83 had be closed because of flooding. In Wayne County, flooding was reported in Wooster along Grosjean, Spruce, South and Henry Streets. State Routes 3, 95, 301 and 302 also had to be closed because of flooding. Damage to just the state routes in the county totaled nearly $500,000. January rainfall totals from the cooperative observer network included: 6.54 inches at Wooster (Wayne County); 6.93 inches at Congress (Wayne County); 5.71 inches at Marshallville (Wayne County) and 6.44 inches at Millersburg (Holmes County). In addition to this rain, extensive snowpack existed over Wayne and Holmes Counties at the beginning of the month. Temperatures in the 50s the first three days of the month caused a rapid snowmelt and brought area streams and creeks to bankfull just in time for the record ice storm on the 5th and 6th. Sump pump failures caused by power outages resulting from this storm led to many homes sustaining damage from basement flooding. Then, just as the flood waters began to recede, more heavy rain fell on the 11th, 12th and 13th causing conditions to once again worsen. Well over a thousand homes reported flood related damages. A few of the homes, especially along Killbuck Creek were heavily damaged.