RIPLEY COUNTY, IN — The National Weather Service (NWS) in Wilmington, Ohio, in conjunction with Ripley County EMA, has confirmed an EF 0 tornado just north of Osgood. This tornado occurred in the early morning hours of March 7, 2022.
The damage specific to the tornado itself was confined to roughly right along U.S. 421 near Jac-Cen-Del Community Schools, and extended northeast and then east, before dissipating just north of State Road 350 just west of Finks Road. There were several areas that sustained straight-line wind damage of similar wind magnitude outside of this path.
The first notable damage was broken tree branches and chimney damage along U.S. Highway 421 just west of the school. The tornado went on to cause roof damage at the school, as well as damage to light objects as well as toppling a light pole in the athletic fields north of the school. Debris also caused damage to some buses parked at the school.
Further east, the tornado traveled just north of State Route 350, where additional trees were either uprooted or snapped. Snapped trees resulted in substantial damage to an outbuilding in the 700 block of West State Route 350.
While additional damage of similar strength was observed along West Fairground Road, as well as other locations to the north and east of Osgood, this damage was attributed to wind damage from the line of strong storms that swept through the area at the same time as the tornado.
An EF 0 tornado is categorized as weak, with winds between 65 and 85 mph.
The weather service report indicates the maximum wind speed in the Osgood area was 75 mph with a path length of 1.3 miles.
The twister was estimated to have lasted from 4:09 to 4:11 am Monday.
There were no injuries or deaths reported.
This survey was completed with significant assistance in the form of photos and video provided by Jac-Cen-Del Community Schools, Osgood Volunteer Fire Department and Ripley County EMA. The NWS is very grateful to these partners for the valuable information and coordination.
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to change pending final review of the event and publication in NWS Storm Data.
Residents are encouraged to sign up for CodeRED. You can visit www.ripleycounty.com and click on the CodeRED logo to enroll or visit https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BF02337A1E04. You can also text RIPLEYCOALERTS to 99411 to receive a direct link to the enrollment form on your mobile device.
(National Weather Service/Ripley County EMA press release)
