Portage County, Ohio

Thunderstorm downburst winds in excess of 100 mph caused extensive damage across northern Portage County. A 105 mph wind gust was measured by an automated sensor in Aurora. Damages stretched from the county line west of Aurora across the northern tier of townships to the eastern end of the county. The damage was most concentrated in Aurora and adjacent Mantua Township. Thousands of trees were downed across the county. Many homes lost roofing or siding and several others were damaged by fallen trees. Many vehicles were reported damaged by flying debris or from fallen trees or limbs. Widespread power outages occurred with full restoration taking around five days. Bleachers at an athletic field at Aurora High School were overturned and destroyed. Several school districts in Portage County were closed on November 6th and some on the 7th because of power outages. Clean up from the storms took weeks.

High water closed most roads in Shalersville after an estimated 3 to 4 inches of rain fell within one hour. This rainfall was after 16 consecutive days with rain in the region. Subsequently the saturated ground could not absorb the water and widespread flooding resulted. The water came up so quickly that emergency officials had to evacuate homeowners. Several people became stranded in their cars or homes. Hardest hit areas include Wentworth Street in the Bolingbrook neighborhood and Aurora East where water was several feet deep in homes. The flood waters inundated about half of the 350 homes. The waters receded within an hour or two.

During the early morning hours of May 22nd, heavy rain producing thunderstorms moved across Portage County for the the third time in less than 24 hours. Rainfall totals of over three inches were reported in the the county with rainfall rates at times approaching two inches per hour. A spotter in Kent measured 3.77 inches of rain between 3 a.m. on May 21st and 3 a.m. on the 22nd. This rain combined with ground already saturated from the earlier storms led to the renewal of widespread flooding in the county. The Kent, Ravenna, Charlestown and Paris Township areas were the worst affected in the county. In Ravenna, 40 people had to be evacuated from a mobile home park after flood waters rose to several feet deep. Several residents in a nearby apartment building also had to be evacuated. Dozens of roads and streets were flooded and had to be closed. Several vehicles became stranded in the flood waters. Damage to roads and other government property from the storms on the 21st and 22nd topped $750,000. Almost 300 homes and businesses sustained flood damage in the county.