High winds whip Hamilton, but no tornado, NWS says
Hardest-hit areas without power for hours due to downed poles or wires tangled in trees.
Hamilton experienced strong winds Tuesday afternoon that caused power outages and significant damage to parts of the city.
A few major areas were impacted, but the Dayton Lane and High Street areas were without power for a couple of hours. There were also about a half-dozen other areas without power around Hamilton due to either downed poles or tree limbs tangled in electric wires.
The National Weather Service did issue a tornado watch Tuesday afternoon, which lasted into the evening, but the weather agency reported Butler County’s mid-afternoon storm was not a tornado.
“We don’t have any evidence that a tornado occurred,” said NWS Meteorologist Matthew Campbell. “It was most likely straight-line winds.”
Campbell said the winds likely exceeded 55 miles per hour.
“Once winds get above 55 mph they start causing damage like that,” he said.
Campbell said he couldn’t say how much rain occurred during the few-minute mid-afternoon storm that swept into the city, but throughout Tuesday, the city received about 1.25 inches of rain. Not as a direct result of the storm, Miami University Regionals campus on University Boulevard, as well as nearby residential streets, were without power following a car accident that occurred just before 5 p.m. Tuesday.
All power had been restored just before 7 p.m. Tuesday to the city’s electric customers, though anyone with power issues should call the city at 513-785-7550.
If there are any downed power lines from Tuesday’s storm, people are advised not to touch them nor anything they may come in contact with, especially anything metal, and call 911. Any downed power line should be treated as if energized.