10 years later: Remembering the June derecho that struck central Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – During the height of rush hour on a steamy afternoon on June 29, 2012, the skies darkened suddenly in Columbus, followed by violent, swirling gusts of wind and torrential downpours.
Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses lost power in the wake of a violent squall line that raced southeast from northern Indiana to the Appalachian foothills. Swaying trees snapped and toppled and brought down power lines. Blinding rain reduced the visibility to near zero.
This was the first time most people would hear the term "derecho" used in a weather report, reflecting a long-lived thunderstorm system tracking more than 250 miles and causing a nearly unbroken trail of damaging winds in excess of 58 mph.
The massive bow-shaped squall line was propelled by exceptionally strong winds that moved the system at a forward speed in excess of 60 mph across the Ohio Valley during a 6-hour period.
Wind gusts at airport weather stations reached 82 mph in the Columbus area, 87 mph in northwestern Ohio, and 91 mph at Fort Wayne, Indiana, causing widespread damage. The storm uprooted and toppled thousands of trees and transmission lines, knocking out power to more than a million customers. Storm losses totaled $2.8 billion in Ohio. One person was killed by a falling tree.
The arcing storm complex re-intensified east of the mountains, and reached the Atlantic Coast a few hours after midnight early on June 30, after wreaking havoc across portions of Maryland and Virginia. Thirteen people died along the 700-mile path and 4.2 million customers lost power.
Many homes in Ohio were without power for up to a week in blistering heat, forcing residents to cast out food that spoiled while suffering without air conditioning.
Donald Berman, now in Las Vegas, Nev., was living in Upper Arlington when the storm blew through the Columbus area, knocking out power on his street for 8 days in scorching heat and humidity.
"We had to use flashlights to use bathrooms," said Berman. He had a small Igloo cooler and made daily trips to purchase ice "so we could have something cold to drink or eat." Without power the basics from hot water to charging cell phones were not options.
Another violent derecho swept across the Midwest on Aug. 10, 2020, with wind gusts estimated close to 140 mph at Cedar Rapids, Ia., resulting in historic losses totaling $11 billion--the greatest in U.S. history for a non-tropical system.