COLUMBUS – The National Weather Service has confirmed that a weak tornado caused damage on the East Side Wednesday morning, knocking down trees and utility poles and tearing the roofs off of buildings in Olde Towne East and Bexley.
UPDATED 9/27/18 8:03 a.m. to include additional information
The agency reported that an EF1 tornado, with winds of 90 miles per hour, touched down in Olde Towne East at 5:53 a.m. and remained on the ground for 3.75 miles, causing the most extensive damage E. Broad Street and James Road (Illustration marks approximate path).
There were no reports of injuries.
The twister was approximately 150 yards wide and knocked down trees and power lines and lifted a pickup truck off the ground in Olde Towne East before tearing the roofs off two cinder block garages and collapsing the walls of the structures, according to the agency’s website.
No tornado warning was issued because the storm developed so quickly and because the rotating winds were too close to the ground to be detected by the service’s radar in Wilmington and the radar at John Glenn International Airport was malfunctioning, according to a report in The Columbus Dispatch.
At one time, thousands of American Electric Power and City of Columbus electric customers were without power.
Ohio Avenue Elementary School and Eastmoor Academy cancelled classes because of downed lines and power outages.