See the path a 17-mile tornado took through 7 cities
[In the player above, watch previous coverage on Tuesday’s tornadoes from FOX 8 meteorologists.]
(WJW) — The longest tornado to hit Northeast Ohio on Tuesday was 17 miles long.
Over 25 minutes, it passed through seven cities, tearing off a recreation center’s roof and downing a row of power lines along a main road.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has charted its course through Brook Park, Parma Heights, Parma, Seven Hills, Independence, Valley View and Bedford, as well as the paths of the region’s three other confirmed tornadoes.
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The last time a tornado was on the ground for that long in Cuyahoga County was in 1953, according to FOX 8 meteorologist Scott Sabol.
“Only 4% of Ohio tornadoes have been on the ground more than 17 miles. So a tornado on the ground that long here in Northern Ohio is not common,” he said.
The EF-1 tornado touched down near Holland Road in Brook Park just before 4 p.m. on Tuesday, and eventually reached an estimated peak speed of 104 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
It sheared the roof off the Brook Park Recreation Center. Mayor Ed Orcutt has since called for state or federal relief, the FOX 8 I-Team reported.
Damage surveyors also found trees snapped at the trunk along its path and some that landed on homes and cars.
The tornado continued east, crossing over West 130th Street and Big Creek Parkway, where FOX 8 viewers photographed a row of power lines toppled across the road or leaning.
The destructive force continued through Parma Heights, ripping off the roof of a garage at Kingsdale Apartments and raining debris large enough to fold a car in half.
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Downed powerlines in Parma. WJW photo Parma, FOX 8 photo SkyFOX SkyFOX SkyFOX photo. Kingsdale Apartments in Parma Heights
The tornado continued along West Ridgewood Drive across from the Shoppes at Parma, then through Seven Hills, leaving heavy tree damage along Chestnut Road.
“Intermittent damage” was reported through Independence and east of the Cuyahoga River.
In Valley View, several large trees were uprooted along Stone Road, some of which fell on homes.
A Bedford neighborhood south of Turney Road saw “significant” damage, with several trees smashing homes and a home whose roof was partially torn off and chimney damaged. The tornado passed through Bedford Reservation and into Bedford Cemetery, causing intermittent damage eastward before petering out.
No injuries or deaths were reported.
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