CLINTON COUNTY — A powerful storm that swept through Wilmington and surrounding areas on late Sunday afternoon left a trail of damage — downing trees and power lines, and causing several road blockages and property damage.

According to the Clinton County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and the U.S. National Weather Service in Wilmington, the storm’s impact was felt across multiple communities, with more severe weather potentially on the horizon.

“Based on power outage information and storm damage reports received into our office, the areas that experienced the most damage were roughly aligned from west-northwest to east-southeast from eastern Indiana into south-central Ohio (roughly the US-35 corridor),” said Brandon Peloquin, meteorologist at the Wilmington NWS. “Of note, Cambridge City, Indiana and Wilmington, Ohio had a good amount of damage reports. The entire Dayton metropolitan area was also hit hard.”

According to Peloquin, until the cold front moves through Wednesday, the region will remain unsettled with the potential for multiple rounds of thunderstorms and severe weather. Then, better storm chances really don’t return to the Ohio Valley until later in July.

Peloquin emphasized the importance of being prepared for severe weather: “We always ask people to have multiple ways to receive weather warnings. Weather radios, turning on cell phone Wireless Emergency Alerts, monitoring social media or local weather broadcasts are just a few examples. We know it’s summer and people like to participate in outdoor activities, so we like to encourage people to have a shelter plan in place before the weather hits.”

The storms arrived during the afternoon, which allowed for temperatures to warm up to their highest point, providing plentiful energy for the storms. Any time a disorganized group of thunderstorms can organize into a line, the potential for severe weather increases. That is why there was a corridor of damage within a specific portion of the thunderstorm line.

The severe thunderstorms that hit the Dayton area around 3 p.m. quickly moved southeastward toward Wilmington, arriving between 3:40 and 3:50 pm. At the Wilmington Airpark, a measured wind gust of 66 mph was recorded at 3:49 p.m.

Incidents Reported

In the aftermath of the storm, the Clinton County EMA reported numerous incidents of damage:

– Tree line on fire: The 5900 block of SR 28 experienced a scene as a tree line caught fire.

– Crackling power lines: On the 600 block of Norman Street in Wilmington, a tree pinned a power line to the ground, creating hazardous conditions with crackling sounds.

– Trees down across roadways: The storm brought down trees across multiple roadways, including:

– 1500 block of Hiatt Road in Clarksville.

– 400 block of Levo Road in New Vienna.

– 7300 block of Antioch Road in New Vienna.

– 2800 block of Smith Road in Wilmington.

– SR 350 & Hilderbrant Road in New Vienna.

Property Damage

Several reports highlighted significant property damage:

– Homes and Vehicles: A tree fell onto a house and car on the 100 block of Linton Avenue in Clarksville, and another tree caused damage to a house at Water and Main streets in Clarksville.

– Blocked Roadways: Trees and lines down on Halpin and Pyle Road, the intersection of Main Street and Farquhar near Clinton Memorial Hospital (CMH) in Wilmington, and Spring Street between Vine and Locust streets in Wilmington.

– Hazardous Conditions: In addition to downed trees, power lines were reported down across multiple locations, including the 4900 block of Cuba Road in Wilmington and the 12500 block of SR 729 in New Vienna. A large tree was left hanging over a roadway at Clarksville Road and First Street in Clarksville.

For further details, those interested can visit U.S. National Weather Service Wilmington Ohio and the Clinton County Emergency Management Agency’s Facebook page.