The 12th, 14th and 26th of August 1923 saw some rather severe storms in Ohio.
Highland, Lucas and Muskingum counties received a considerable amount of damage
from strong thunderstorm winds, lightning and hail on the 12th of August.
However, the most damaging storms of the month came on the 14th and 26th.
On the 14th, a severe thunderstorm tore a path about one-half mile wide and
eight miles long through Congress and Wayne townships in Wayne County. Damage
was said to run "into the thousands of dollars". Much of the damage
was probably due to straight line winds, but there may have been a small
tornado, as one garage was said to have been twisted from its foundation. This
storm hit "about dusk" and the clouds were said to have a
"reddish tint". One 44' x 72' barn under construction was totally
demolished. Other barns and houses lost roofs or parts of roofs. Many trees,
some of them quite large, were either blown down or snapped off several feet
above the ground. In some cases, branches were torn from trees and tossed 200
yards away. At least 12 telephone poles were blown down and others were left
leaning at a 45 degree angle. One house had 16 windows blown from it, while
another home had the windows on the north and west sides blown in, indicating
straight line winds here.
During the afternoon of August 26, 1923, a severe hailstorm pounded Cincinnati. According to W.B. Schlomer (the official temporarily in charge of the U.S. Weather Bureau office there), the thunderstorm which produced the hail was just an ordinary storm so far as intensity. Rain began at 3:30 P.M. and hail at 3:35 P.M. The hail was "very heavy" from 3:36 to 3:42 P.M.". It ended by 3:46 P.M. Streets and ground in the hailstorm's path looked as though "covered with snow". In many areas, hail lay to a depth of two inches. The largest hailstones were "more than an inch in diameter of an irregular, disk-like shape, eventually made up of smaller globular hailstones frozen together". The roof corners of one large building had hail piled up 6 - 8 inches deep, one and one-half hours after the storm. In the hailstorm's path, which was about four miles wide and 10-11 miles long, "thousands of dollars" of damage was done. Awnings, car tops, sky lights, street lights and windows were "pierced" by the hail. Even the anemometer cups on the Government Building had 18 seperate dents from the hailstones.
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