May of 1973 was a volatile month across Ohio. A total of 12 tornadoes were officially reported in the state that month. Two tornadoes occurred on the 8th; five on the 10th; 1 on the 19th; 3 on the 25th and 1 on the 30th.
The first tornado on the 8th hit the Bash Recreation Center at Dublin (Franklin County) causing between $100,000 and $150,000 damage. It touched down again at Galena (Delaware County) damaging a brick yard. It's final damage was at Sunbury, also in Delaware County. There were no injuries or fatalities.
The second tornado on the 8th hit Olmsted Township in Cuyahoga County. This storm's path was short and only 25 yards wide. Damage was put between $500 and $1,000.
The most severe tornadoes of the month struck on the 10th. A tornado touch down two miles north of Fostoria (Seneca County) damaged or destroyed a number of homes and barns and killed one person when it blew a car off Route 19. This twister proceeded east-southeast, hitting Willard (Huron County). Here the storm was at its worst, as it demolished 119 mobile homes, left 1,000 people homeless, killed 5 more people, injured 100 people and caused $5,000,000 damage. In spite of all the destruction, this tornado ultimately was rated only as an F2.
Another tornado skipped on an east-southeast path from northwestern Ashland County, where 6 people were injured and between 10 and 12 homes were badly damaged, to northeast of West Salem, north of Wooster and finally east of Rittman (all in Wayne County). There was scattered severe damage.
A third tornado on the 10th followed a skipping path from south of Forest in Hardin County to west of Harpster (Wyandot County). It dipped down again in Bellville (Richland County). There, two homes were demolished and 10 others damaged, along with 4 trailers and 2 barns. It's final touchdown came west of Millersburg (Holmes County) and it moved to just northwest of that city. In all, this storm injured 14 people.
Tornado number four began, as best as can be determined from combined reports in
"Storm Data" and "Significant Tornadoes 1880-1989," in northern Champaign County and moved on east-southeast through Catawba Station, also in Champaign County. At this location, 30 homes were damaged along with 4 mobile homes. There were 3 injuries. Another touchdown occurred in northern Madison County where 31 homes were damaged and 3 were destroyed. Four more people were injured. Then, the tornado hit the southern parts of Columbus (Franklin County). Fourteen homes were destroyed and 82 more were damaged. Damage was put at $500,000 in Columbus.
A tornado, which may have been number five, touched down in Fairfield and Perry counties, destroying three mobile homes and injuring one person.
On the 19th of May, 1973, a tornado destroyed two farm buildings at Ross (Butler County). Some other minor damage was done.
On the 25th of the month, a small tornado touched down near Venedocia (Van Wert County). A second small tornado that day very briefly dipped down in Crawford county, and a third small twister struck the western part of Columbus (Franklin county).
Finally, on the 30th of the month, another tornado struck The North American Rockwell Corporation and The Defense Construction Supply Center in Columbus (Franklin County). Damage to both of these facilities was put at $3,300,000. One person was injured.
The tornadoes of the 8th, 10th and 25th came from thunderstorms associated with cold fronts. Those of the 10th, which were the most severe, had three prime ingredients to make for powerful storms. Unstable moist air was present in the lower levels of the atmosphere. Unstable cold air in the upper levels created a capping flow. Then, there was the jet stream which was whizzing through the area at about 35,000 feet. Thunderstorm cloud tops reached 42,000 feet on the 10th.
Just to "add fuel to the fire," the cold front on the 10th stalled over the Willard (Huron County) area. The thunderstorm line then began to pivot on an axis located about over Willard. The lateral movement of the thunderstorm line and the unstable air triggered the tornadic activity of the 10th.
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