TOLEDO, Ohio — The National Weather Service confirmed Saturday that eight tornadoes touched down in Ohio during Thursday evening's storms.
Five counties around northwest and northeast Ohio reported storm damage and sightings of tornadoes.
10TV’s sister station WTOL reported that the Point Place neighborhood in Toledo was hit hard by the storm. Many residents in the area reported roof damage, downed trees and downed power lines.
ProMedica Laboratories, a business on Suder Avenue, appeared to suffer heavy damage.
Phlebotomist Kendrick Mosely said had just finished up his work day and headed home just before the storm arrived. He heard on his way home that the building had been destroyed.
"It’s heartbreaking. All these people are dependent about this lab," Mosely told WTOL. "I’m sad I won’t be here to service my patients. This is devastating."
NWS rated the Point Place tornado as an EF-2, which falls anywhere between 111 mph and 135 mph.
EF0 tornadoes fall between 65 and 85 mph, while EF1, a moderate tornado, often fall between 86 and 110 mph.
The storms in the area left around 12,000 without power. The weather service reported “a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado” over Bellevue and storms showing “signs of rotation” in other areas.
NWS Cleveland’s survey teams found that Huron County had three tornadoes, Sandusky had two and Ottawa, Lucas and Ashland counties each had one.
In Huron County, Greenwich had an EF1 tornado that was on the ground for more than four miles. North Fairfield also had an EF1 tornado that was on the ground for nearly 10 miles damaging power lines, trees, silos and a mobile home. Peru Township recorded an EF2 tornado that gained an estimated maximum wind speed of 115 miles while it was on the ground for nine miles. The EF2 storm caused damage to about 10 residences and several silos, according to NWS.
In Sandusky County, Rice Township saw an EF1 tornado that reached peak winds of 95 mph, affecting one home and snapping several trees. Bellevue experienced an EF0 tornado that caused damage to trees.
Oak Harbor in Ottawa County saw an EF2 tornado that reached an estimated peak wind of 130 mph. It traveled more than three miles before lifting, causing damage to five homes, seven barns and up to 10 cattle fatalities.
An EF0 tornado touched down in Nankin in Ashland County, traveling for 1.2 miles and causing damage to several structures.
It wasn’t just Ohio that was affected by storm damage. The storm system also brought hail and tornadoes to Texas and Florida.
Severe storms spawned tornadoes, killing at least four people – one in Florida and three in Texas.
Perryton, Texas Fire Chief Paul Dutcher estimated that 150 to 200 homes in the community had been destroyed and said that in the downtown area, many storefronts were totally wiped off and buildings had collapsed or partially collapsed.
The Associated Press reported that after the storm hit Perryton, the system moved into Oklahoma, spawning several more twisters in addition to high winds and large hail.
Meanwhile, flash flooding was reported in Pensacola, Florida, where between 12 and 16 inches of rain has fallen since Thursday evening, said Caitlin Baldwin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Mobile/Pensacola office. She said the weather service had received reports of evacuations and water rescues in Pensacola following the deluge, which was the heaviest amount of rainfall the city had received since 2014.