MOUNT VERNON — The National Weather Service confirmed that an Enhanced Fujita 0 tornado touched down on Granny Creek Road at 8:56 p.m. on Thursday.
An EF0 is the lowest rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale, with winds from 65 to 85 mph.
It traveled 0.1 miles and tore off a section of a barn roof. The roof landed against a utility pole across Granny Creek Road.
The NWS issued a tornado watch for Knox County at 5:02 pm. It upgraded the alert to a tornado warning at 8:39 p.m. The storm resulted in scattered power outages across Knox County.
Two other tornadoes touched down in Central Ohio during Thursday’s storms.
An EF1 touched down in Morrow County at 8:41 p.m. It hit northeast of Mount Gilead, along U.S. 42 near Home Road. Winds up to 95 mph uprooted trees and damaged an outbuilding along the 1.5-mile path.
Another EF1 hit the Kenton County Fairgrounds in Hardin County around 8:46 pm, traveling 0.1 miles. Damage included snapped trees and utility poles, and damage to a barn roof.
Knox County has experienced 13 tornadoes (6 EF0, 2 EF1, 5 EF2) since 1950. The most recent was an EF0 on June 5, 2024.
The EF2 tornadoes hit on:
• June 11, 1957.
• April 2, 1970.
• June 8, 1981.
• March 31, 1982.
• April 3, 1982.
The Enhanced Fujita scale became operational in February 2007. Ratings estimate wind speed based on damage.