LONDON, Ohio (WCMH) – A security camera outside of a Madison County home captured one of the five confirmed tornadoes that touched down in the central Ohio area Wednesday morning.
According to Christopher Estep, of Lilly Chapel, in north Fairfield Township, a security camera from his home captured a tornado that passed over Wilson Road Southeast in Madison County. The video shows the confirmed EF-1 twister heading east From London towards West Jefferson.
The National Weather Service confirmed that at 5:14 a.m., the EF-1 twister touched down east of London and traveled around 8 miles, ending southwest of West Jefferson at 5:23 a.m. The tornado’s estimated maximum speed was 110 mph and it spanned approximately 250 yards in maximum path width.
Tornado and storm damage in Clark, Madison counties
As of 6:50 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service confirmed five tornadoes touched down in central and southwestern Ohio:
- An EF-1 in Hilliard, Franklin County
- An EF-2 in Blacklick, Franklin County, which then downgraded to an EF-1 as it traveled into Jersey, Licking County
- An EF-1 in London, Madison County
- An EF-2 near Springfield, Clark County
- An EF1 in Riverside, Montgomery County
An EF-1 tornado contains wind speeds between 86 and 110 mph. An EF-2 tornado includes speeds from 111 to 135 mph.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office said four homes were destroyed. As well, Route 40 remains closed in both directions at the Madison County Airport as of 1 p.m. Thursday.
A Madison County tornado is captured on a security camera in Fairfield Township. (Courtesy Photo/Christopher Estep) 
A house in Clark County is sliced in half by a tornado that travelled into Madison County, Feb. 28, 2024. (Courtesy’Ohio State Highway Patrol) 
A tornado leaves debris behind at the Madison County Airport, Feb. 28, 2024. (Courtesy/Ohio State Highway Patrol) 
A house in West Jefferson with extensive damage after a possible tornado on February 28, 2024. (NBC4/Eric Halperin) 
Multiple power lines block Durrett Road in southwest Columbus after thunderstorms and a tornado warning on February 28, 2024. (Courtesy Photo/AEP Ohio) 
A house in West Jefferson with extensive damage after a possible tornado on February 28, 2024. (NBC4/Eric Halperin) 
A trailer was blown onto its side in Groveport, Ohio after a tornado warning on February 28, 2024. (NBC4 Photo/Mark Feuerborn)
As a result of the tornadoes, a significant amount of damage was done to Ohio State University’s Molly Caren Agricultural Center.
“I’ve never seen destruction like this in my life,” superintendent of the center Matthew Sullivan said. “You see it on TV, like there was a tornado in Kentucky or there was a tornado someplace else, but until it’s in your home, pretty different.”
The National Weather Service reported the EF-1 tornado in Hilliard lasted just three minutes, covered 2.3 miles, and also reached up to 110 mph. The tornado in Blacklick reached 120 mph and traveled over 14 miles from Blacklick to west of Granville in Licking County.
Licking County resident Joshua McGraw said he remembers waking up and seeing that everything was pitch black. Then, he heard his barn explode in a matter of seconds.
“The first thing I thought was, I don’t know how I’m alive,” McGraw said. “I mean, that’s obviously the first thing on my mind after seeing just the destruction and devastation around me.
According to the NWS, the tornado that began in Blacklick was the strongest February tornado recorded in Franklin County since 1971.
The intense storms began at around 4:45 a.m. when Franklin, Fairfield, Licking, Knox, Madison, Morgan, and Perry counties went under tornado warnings with strong winds creating tornadic conditions.
The weather alerts caused several central Ohio school districts to announce delays Wednesday morning and American Electric Power announced thousands were without power.
Just east of Dayton, strong winds and storm conditions damaged buildings and planes at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base during a confirmed EF-1 tornado.
