CLEVELAND — It was an eventful and dangerous afternoon last Thursday, with much of Northeast Ohio under the threat of a tornado warning.
Now, we're getting a clearer picture of just how windy things got, as the National Weather Service confirms seven tornadoes touched down in the region over a roughly two-hour span. The strongest hit Stark County, with the weakest taking place in Aurora.
The first twister made its way to Hinckley around 4:36 p.m., causing minor damage to homes and trees over a period of about six minutes. Moments later, a second tornado hit further east in Wickliffe and all but destroyed a house, a somewhat odd occurrence as there had been no tornado warning in Lake County. Both storms were classified as EF1s with winds up to 97 miles per hour.
Storms, tornadoes plow through Northeast Ohio
RELATED: Wickliffe home destroyed by tornado
At 5:10 p.m., another EF1 hit Jackson Township and lasted for about five minutes. This cyclone was the strongest at 110 miles per hour, and led to significant damage at a local park as well as a nearby business.
A weaker EF0 tornado hit Hudson around the same time, followed by two in Trumbull County: One in Mecca with 104-mile-per-hour winds and another in Johnston Township at 80 miles per hour. The weakest storm (confirmed only Monday) was in Aurora around 5:20 p.m., peaking at just 75 miles per hour and lasting less than a minute but still causing minor roof and tree damage.
Cleanup continues across the area. It is still unknown just how much it will cost to repair the damages.