Ohio smashes tornado record by this much

*Related video: An Ohio man captures video of a tornado on March 14, 2024*

CLEVELAND (WJW) — If you think there’s been a lot more tornadoes around here the last two springs, especially this past April, you’re right!

This following statistic from Fox 8 meteorologist Scott Sabol is a real eye opener.

Sabol reports that Ohio averages 7 tornadoes in April, but this year the Buckeye State had 43 April tornadoes.

Several of those tornadoes touched down in NE Ohio causing extensive damage in places like Windham in Portage County on April 18.

“So far this year, the Ohio tornado count has been record setting,” Sabol said. “Preliminary numbers put the total at 43, although official tornado track analysis puts the exact number closer to 35. Either way, we haven’t had a year anywhere close to this since…well, last year,” he added.

April 2024 delivered Ohio its most tornadoes since tracking started in 1950 and 36 more tornadoes than in an average Ohio April

In the NOAA map below, posted by Scott to his newest blog in Scott Sabol’s World of Weather, you see several damaging tornadoes struck west and east of Cleveland in NE Ohio, while many of the tornadoes swept through west central and central Ohio.

Why so many tornadoes this year?

Sabol explained “First, we have been transitioning out of a very strong El Nino period and rapidly heading into a La Nina. These changes in the equatorial Pacific have impacted the jet stream across the central US. Throughout the winter, the storm track was absent across the US as evident by below normal snowfall across the central US.”

Sabol also said that the jet stream intensity “was abnormally strong in March and April across the Midwest.

What about May?

Going by the 8 Day Forecast, it will be a pleasant and mild to warm setting.

You can check out the current forecast by clicking here.