COLUMBUS, Ohio — There have been 18 tornadoes in Ohio so far this year — the most the state has ever seen this early in a year.
The previous record for the most tornadoes from Jan. 1 through March 14 was set in 1986 and 12 tornadoes were reported. Around this time last year, there were nine reported tornadoes and seven tornadoes swept through the state between Jan. 1 and March 14, 2017.
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Why is this happening?
Doppler 10 Meteorologist Michael Behrens said it’s hard to say, but as climate change progresses and winters get warmer, the risk for severe weather increases earlier in the year as air masses clash.
It may also be a matter of luck as the same storms that produced tornadoes this week may have only rotated in the clouds on another night.
Behrens said technology and population bias should also be considered.
As the population grows and there are more people to see or be impacted by a tornado, the number of reports will increase. There are also better ways of tracking and following up on tornado-producing storms now, whereas, in the past, those storms may have been overlooked.
Will we see more tornadoes the rest of the year?
It may be possible that there are more tornadoes, but it’s also possible that we could enter a quiet pattern.
Behrens said the record years rank as follows:
*Note: 2012 and 2023 both had nine tornadoes reported by March 14.
- 2023 - 3rd most by March 14, 2nd most tornadoes in a year
- 2017 - 5th most by March 14, 6th most tornadoes in a year
- 1986 - 2nd most by March 14, 18th most tornadoes in a year
- 2012 – 3rd most by March 14, 39th most tornadoes in a year
The most tornadoes on record in a year was in 1992 with 63 tornadoes. By March 14, there were only 3 tornadoes in 1992.