Severe thunderstorms barreled across Clinton County on Tuesday afternoon, dumping heavy rain, kicking up damaging wind gusts and triggering street flooding that briefly shut down parts of Wilmington. The storms toppled trees and knocked out power to hundreds of customers while a short-lived tornado warning went up after radar showed rotation near Lees Creek. Emergency and utility crews spent much of the afternoon untangling downed lines and clearing debris to get key roads back open.
Tornado warning after radar detected rotation
The National Weather Service in Wilmington briefly issued a tornado warning for eastern Clinton County after radar indicated rotation near Lees Creek, according to the National Weather Service. Clinton County Emergency Management reported that the circulation pushed due east and moved out of the county shortly after the warning was issued, and urged residents to keep multiple ways of receiving alerts in case new warnings are posted. Officials with the National Weather Service stressed that damaging straight-line winds, not long-track tornadoes, were the main concern with Tuesday’s storms.
Flooding and downed trees snarled traffic
Heavy rain led to localized street flooding along portions of Washington Avenue, where detour signs went up until water levels dropped, and a fallen tree briefly blocked North College Street near Washington Avenue. Utility crews were sent to deal with downed power lines near Cline and Greenfield roads as workers hustled to clear limbs and reopen travel lanes, the Wilmington News Journal reported. Drivers were urged to take it slow and watch for standing water and scattered debris on roads around the county.
Hundreds left in the dark; crews repairing lines
Outage-tracking data showed about 941 of 17,780 monitored customers without electricity, with most of the outages affecting AES Ohio customers, according to PowerOutage. AES Ohio listed a live outage map and instructions for reporting problems and checking on restoration times, as local line crews worked through the afternoon to bring service back where lines were damaged. Officials reminded residents to assume every downed wire is energized and to report outages directly to their electric provider, not try to handle any lines themselves.
How residents can report damage and stay safe
Clinton County emergency officials asked residents to report storm damage and any funnel-cloud sightings through the county’s online spot-reporting portal and to steer clear of downed power lines, according to the Wilmington News Journal and county notices. A severe thunderstorm watch remained in effect for Clinton County into the evening, and Clinton County EMA urged residents to keep weather alerts turned on and be ready to move to shelter quickly if additional warnings are issued.
