1993-1995: I just went out there, no equipment except a police scanner, no video recorder, and no camera. I mostly jotted down damage reports from my personal experience and various news reports
1993
(1 Chase)
Sept 2, 1993 My first documented storm took me to north Toledo. Strong storms along with 2 ½ inch hail shattered windows at The University of Toledo and other locations. Crops were damaged and destroyed. Trees were downed in Toledo.
December 26, 1993: Temperatures averaged well below normal with high temperatures in the teens and low temperatures near zero. The morning of the 29th saw temperatures below zero over much of the area. Water main breaks occurred along with an increase in fires due to residents using additional heat sources. A homeless man (age unknown) in Toledo was reported to have died of hypothermia on the 28th.
1994
(7 chases)
April 15, 1994: This storm happen at night I went about 5 miles south of Toledo to spot. Lots of lightning occurred. Estimated winds of 45mph were observed. ¾ inch hail reported at Centennial and Hill Street at 1049 EST and at Sylvania and McCord at 1053 EST.
June 17, 1994: Bowling Green was my target area. Trees and limbs were downed. A report of part of the roof was blown off of a hangar at the Findlay Airport over the skywarn radio.
June 20, 1994: Trees were downed throughout Wood county.
June 28, 1994: Large tree limbs were downed near the Lucas-Fulton County border.
July 7, 1994: A bow echo came thru the area. Trees were downed, some on power lines, in several locations.
July 29, 1994: Slow moving thunderstorms produced over two inches of rain. Flooding of streets and poor drainage areas occurred in Nothren Wood county.
August 2, 1994: Large branches were downed. Winds were measured at 59 mph.
1995
(18 Chases)
April 11, 1995: Storms took me East toward Oregon, Ohio. The closer I got to the storm, the stronger it seemed to get. Trees were downed in Jerusalem Township
May 24, 1995: Trees were downed. My first funnel cloud was sighted but no touchdown occurred. The heavy thunderstorm rains produced flood waters a foot deep on I-75.
May 28, 1995: Report at Bass Island, Numerous trees were downed, some on power lines, structures and vehicles
June 14, 1995: This was a pretty good storm. ¾ inch hail in Lucas and Wood counties
June 23, 1995: Trees were downed, some on power lines.
June 26, 1995: Trees were downed near the Toledo Airport. A 38-year-old man in Maumee was treated after being struck by lightning as he pushed his car that had ran out of gas into a gas station. The lightning first struck the canopy roof over the gas station pumps.
June 27, 1995: Large limbs were downed. Southwest Of Lucky
June 28, 1995 : Trees and large limbs were downed in a number of locations including Elmore, Oak Harbor, and Port Clinton
July 4, 1995: Trees were downed. Milton Center And Weston
July 12-17, 1995: Record or near record high temperatures in the 90s along with excessive humidity occurred with the peak of the heat and humidity occurring on the 14th when high temperatures were near or exceeded 100. Dew points were also unusually high averaging near 80 which produced a heat index as high as 126 F in Toledo. A number of roads and sidewalks buckled from the heat. There were no known fatalities during this hot spell but 1,500 swine perished from the heat in a barn at the Kalbach-Wagner Swine Research Farm in Wyandot County when the ventilation system failed.
July 13, 1995: Strong winds in Wood County
July 16, 1995: Large limbs were downed. A 28-year-old man was killed after he unknowingly touched a vehicle which was in contact with a live electric line which had been downed after tree limbs were blown down across the wires.
July 26, 1995: 1 inch hail was observed in Ottawa County
August 1, 1995: This is one of my first chases using my first camera, a 110mm film camera. I did take a pic of a rain shaft. 1-inch hail was observed.
Unknown, 1995: I guess this can be called a "workchase" since, well I was at work. After the storm passed, I took a pic of a rainbow. Yea really exciting.
Aug 8 to Aug 22, 1995: An unusually long period of hot weather with afternoon temperatures generally in the 90s and relatively high humidity caused injuries and fatalities. Older utility systems suffered a high incidence of breakdown due to prolonged high demand and some roads buckled in the heat. Nights remained unusually warm and in a number of cases temperatures stayed in the 80s all night in the city that likely contributed to the heat related problems. Injuries were generally from heat stress/stroke. Of the injuries, two happen in Lucas. Figures for the fatalities are from the county coroners. The number of injuries is uncertain due to lack of reporting and the actual number treated for heat stress/stroke is likely higher. There was very little crop damage, and what little may have occurred did not occur until the later days of the heat wave when a lack of rainfall began to have an impact.
August 12,1995: This is one of my now famous "homechase", in which the storm came to me. After the storm had passed, I was able to take a picture of a wall cloud. Large limbs were downed. In Oregon, Lightning struck the road in a camping area and a woman entering a nearby camper was electrocuted as she touched the aluminum door. Her friend, trying to assist her, was also shocked when she touched her. Both women, in the late 20s, were hospitalized.
August 13, 1995: A utility pole and transformer were downed.
August 15, 1995: A barn was blown over and three campers blown over. Trees were downed. In Lake Township, Trees and limbs were downed, some on power lines. Significant damage occurred at Maumee Bay State Park where a camper was flipped over and awnings were blown from several other campers. Falling trees damaged several buildings and falling trees also damaged a boardwalk recreational path. This was reported over the Skywarn radio.
August 17, 1995: Very heavy thunderstorm rains measured two inches in about a half an hour and 3.5 inches in about an hour. Flooding occurred on small streams, streets and poor drainage areas.
1996
(2 Chases)
Feb 2 to Feb 5, 1996: Bitter cold arctic air was over the area with overnight low temperatures averaging between zero and 10 below and daytime high temperatures in the single digits. Wind gusts of 25 mph on the 2nd dropped wind chills as low as 40 below zero and the wind picked back up on the 5th again bringing similarly low wind chills. Record lows were set at most stations across northern Ohio for the 3rd and 4th. A number of pipes and water mains froze and/or broke.
April 12, 1996: Severe storms broke out in the area. This is where I first photograph hail during my chases. It was only pea size hail, but it was hail. The weather service reported a tornado about an hour north of my area.
June 4, 1996: A F0 tornado touched down near Custar and remained on the ground for a short time. This was reported over the Skywarn radio. I tried to make it there but could not make it in time. Tree limbs and power lines were downed near State Routes 281 and 235. Three quarter inch hail fell and tree branches were downed. Power lines were downed at Route 199 south of Route 6.
Winter 1996: The storms of the 96 season were few and far between because going to college and working full time, so I chased snowstorms this year. I did take a few photos of the snow that year.