Harsh weather started the weekend off in our area. Three tornados were confirmed in Ross County, one in Pickaway County near Kingston, and two near Hillsboro.
The strongest was a medium-strength EF2 tornado in a western Ross County village. The National Weather Service describes the tornado with an estimated maximum wind speed of 115 miles an hour cutting through South Salem between 1:28 and 1:32 am Saturday.
A house and gym were destroyed, with the gym going airborne. Power poles and trees were snapped in a 300-foot wide swath that stretched seven-tenths of a mile heading east.
No injuries were reported.
The Fall Festival of Leaves in Bainbridge was delayed Saturday morning by the resulting power outage and damage to tents, but the prince and princess pageant was delayed only an hour.
The Chillicothe Gazette quoted a couple who were pulled from the ruins of their house, showed workout equipment on a bare concrete slab, and noted the Buckskin Community Church opening its doors to the community.