Powerful storms may spawn tornadoes across north central Ohio on Tuesday

MANSFIELD — Not even the best meteorologist can pinpoint exactly where and when a tornado will roar down from the sky with a fury of 150-plus mph winds.

But the national and state weather experts think a twister or two is darn likely in Ohio on Tuesday afternoon and into the evening hours.

The National Weather Service in Cleveland has issued a hazardous weather outlook for all of north central Ohio on Tuesday, a localized forecast for a line of powerful thunderstorms that stretched on Monday evening from central Texas to the Great Lakes.

It is moving east at a powerful and high rate of speed.

That hazardous weather outlook will likely change locally as the storms approach.

North central Ohio residents can expect thunderstorm watches to be issued and then change into warnings. Tornado watches may be issued that may also become warnings.

As the storm system shifts eastward, severe storms will be most numerous across the Tennessee and Ohio valleys on Tuesday.

The possibility of severe weather might also extend eastward across the Appalachians and into the mid-Atlantic, and southward into parts of north Georgia, central Alabama and central Mississippi.

Moderate to heavy rain will likely return Monday night.

Minor flooding is possible, primarily on the most responsive creeks and rivers in the southern half of the area, especially in Knox County.

Periodic moderate to heavy rain will continue through Tuesday.

Minor flooding is possible, primarily on the most responsive creeks and rivers in the southern half of the area.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to redevelop Tuesday afternoon and evening. These storms will likely be strong to severe, with all hazards possible. Damaging winds, large hail, and several tornadoes, some strong or intense, will be possible.

The strong storms are expected just two weeks after an F-2 tornado roared through northern Crawford and Richland counties, the third confirmed twister in Richland County in the last five years.

The tornado that roared through the rural area on March 14 was classified by the National Weather Service office in Cleveland as an F2 on the Fujita scale of tornado intensity. It damaged three homes in the area, though no injuries were  reported, including residents and livestock.

The tornado initially touched down in northern Crawford County at 7:54 p.m. and traveled 10.3 miles in the next 19 minutes before lifting near the area of Willet and Opdyke roads.

Richland County residents can sign up for alerts through the county alert system that will send notifications for a variety of reasons, including weather, to their cell phone, work phone, text message, email and home phone.