COLUMBUS – March came in like a lion, but more like a lion in springtime than a lion winter, as heavy rain, high winds and possible tornadoes damaged buildings, flooded roadways and knocked out power to thousands of Ohioans.
Resident of central, southern and southwestern Ohio awoke to power outages, damaged homes or downed trees after thunderstorms battering the Midwest brought destruction to some parts of the Buckeye State.
It was part of a large storm system that left at least two people dead after tornadoes touched down in the upper Midwest and northern Arkansas Tuesday.
Numerous schools delayed the start of classes Wednesday as continuing storms and gusty winds slowed morning commutes. High water or flooding concerns were reported on various roadways from southwestern Ohio all the way north toward Cleveland.
The National Weather Service reported a suspected tornado in southern Ohio’s Highland County was blamed for damaging several homes near Leesburg. No serious injuries were reported there.
A shed was damaged near Laurelville in Pickaway County and winds gusts of over 50 mph were recorded in Lancaster.
Some parts of the state were slated to remain under tornado watches or flooding advisories into late morning.
Tornado watches were posted across a large part of the nation’s midsection as forecasters warned of significant foul weather. Nearly 44 million people were warned to be on the lookout for twisters, high winds and hail.
An emergency official in Illinois says one person was killed in the town of Ottawa when a tree uprooted. Another person was killed when an apparent tornado ripped through Perry County in Missouri.