By ADAM FERRISE
Tribune Chronicle
GIRARD - The second tornado in as many years in Trumbull County touched down Sunday afternoon on Park Avenue, the National Weather Service in Cleveland confirmed Monday.
Article Photos
These two large trees off Brown Court in Girard were among hundreds of trees and branches scattered by a tornado Sunday afternoon. The trees crashed into a wooded area that connects to Tod Park, where there were also many trees and branches down.
Tribune Chronicle / Bob Coupland
A spokesman said NWS officials were in the area on Monday and determined a tornado touched down, scattering hundreds of trees and branches through the neighborhood.
The tornado rose and fell rapidly and stayed mostly in the air, which caused most of the damage to roofs in the area, the spokesman said. The NWS classified the tornado as an EF-0, meaning it caused little damage in comparison to larger twisters.
The tornado traveled about 25 to 35 miles per hour in an east to east-northeast direction. The path was about three miles long, and no one was injured, the spokesman said.
The storm also affected Liberty and Hubbard.
About 100 customers in Girard and Liberty lost power because of the storm. Reports said 16 trees were down on Warner Road in Hubbard, including eight pine trees that snapped in half and one that fell onto a car.
The storm disturbed areas on Park Avenue from Tod Park through Villa Place, about a mile and a half. The most damage occurred on Park Avenue between Lincoln Avenue S.E. and Gary Avenue S.E. Homes on each side of the road were affected differently, but three houses north or south of the road appeared untouched.
The storm ripped a hole through the roof of 1000 Gary Ave. S.E., lifted a shed over a house and onto a vehicle on the opposite side of the home at 994 Ward Ave. and cracked a telephone poll at the corner of Park Avenue and Lincoln Avenue S.E. Dozens of trees were knocked down or uprooted.
Residents said they heard and saw the storm, then heard warning sirens about three minutes after the storm left the area.
Meteorologists said the storm registered weakly on the radar and appeared to be only a thunderstorm.
Ernie Cook, the 911 Center chief, said he decided to activate the sirens controlled by the 911 Center after receiving several calls about the funnel cloud, including one from the Federal Aviation Administration from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
He said the 911 Center is unable to switch on sirens for Girard, Liberty and Hubbard, which activate their own sirens. Liberty residents said no siren was heard despite the storm approaching the area before it ascended.
In Girard, residents said they heard the sirens after the storm passed.
Last year, a tornado touched down in West Farmington, downing power lines and trees. On Aug. 25, the National Weather Service reported a tornado swept through the area about 1:30 a.m. with wind speeds of about 75 miles per hour.
Another hit in Geauga County about the same time. About 55,000 people were without power for about 13 hours. The storm also brought hail up to 1-inch think in diameter.