1968 — April 23, Tornadoes, MI, TN and especially KY (5) and OH (9) — 14

–14 Environmental Data Service. Storm Data, Vol. 10, No. 4, April 1968, pp. 28, 33-34.
–14 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1096.
–14 Schmidlin and Schmidlin. Thunder in the Heartland. 1996, p. 277.

Kentucky (5)
–4 Falmouth area, Pendleton, Co., 1:45 pm, F4. Grazulis 1993, p. 1096; Storm Data, p. 28.
–1 Augusta area, Bracken County, 1:45 pm, F4. Grazulis 1993, p. 1096; Storm Data, p. 28.

Ohio (9)
–1 Newtonsville, Clermont Co., 1:56pm, F4. Boy, 13, when home destroyed. Grazulis, p. 1096.
–1 Ripley area (3 miles north), Brown County, 1:45 pm F4. Woman in trailer home. Grazulis.
–7 Wheelersburg, Scioto County, 3:55 pm, F4. Grazulis 1993, p. 1096. Storm Data, p. 34.

Narrative Information

Grazulis: “KY-OH APR 23, 1968 1345 6k 364inj 300y 70m F4 PENDLETON / BRACKEN / MASON [counties], KY/BROWN/ADAMS/SCIOTO [counties], OH–Moved ENE from 2m SW of Falmouth, passing SE of the business district of that town. In Bracken County, damage occurred near Berlin, Bladeston, and Chatham in Bracken County, and Dover in Mason County. Some residents reported seeing two or three funnels. The tornado was on the ground most of the time, dipping down into the hollows between the hills. Four people were killed in the Falmouth area and one near Augusta, Bracken County. There were 350 injured in the Falmouth area, 250 of which were treated at the hospital or by a physician. There were at least eight injuries near Augusta. In Falmouth, 380 houses were damaged to some extent, 180 of which were described as destroyed. In Bracken County, 20 homes were demolished, 50 were damaged, and 175 barns were lost. In Dover, 115 of the 127 houses were badly damaged. The tornado crossed the Ohio River into Ohio between Levanna and Ripley, and hit 3m N of Ripley on US- 62. A woman was killed and her son injured as the tornado destroyed their trailer home. In the Ripley area, 30 homes were damaged and 40 barns totally destroyed. Seventeen barns were destroyed near Decatur, Brown County. In Adams County, 25 houses and barns were destroyed or damaged, and four house trailers were destroyed. Possibly F5….

“OH. APR 23, 1968 1356 lk 29inj 400y 25m F4. CLERMONT/BROWN/CLINTON–This tornado first touched down near Glen Este, then moved NE at 40-45 mph, crossing Hwy-50, east of Perintown, and passing just east of Newtonsville. It lifted about 3m E of Westboro. Between Glen Este and Newtonsville, five homes and a house trailer were destroyed. The heaviest damage occurred east of Newtonsville, where 30 homes and 50 barns were destroyed. A 13-year-old boy was killed when his home was leveled. The path width ranged from 50 yards near Glen Este, to 1000 yards near Newtonsville. The funnel lifted near Westboro…

“KY-OH.APR 23, 1968 1555 7k 107inj 400y 42m F4.
GREENUP,KY/SCIOTO/LAWRENCE/GALLIA,OH–Moved ENE from 5m SW of Portsmouth, Kentucky damaging or destroying (F3) 100 homes in Kentucky and injuring 15 people The funnel crossed the Ohio River into Ohio and hit a train, leaving several cars overturned. It then crossed Hwy-52, and moved into Wheelersburg. In this area, the tornado destroyed or damaged 550 homes, killing seven people and injuring 75 others, primarily in the Dogwood Ridge Road residential section, 4m ENE of Wheelersburg. After leaving Wheelersburg, it skipped through a sparsely populated rural area to Gallipolis. Near Lyra, about 2m N of the junction of Hwy-141 and Hwy-233, a home was leveled and another lost its roof. In the Gallipolis area, damage was heaviest along Chillicothe and McCormick Roads, where six house trailers, eight homes, and four farm buildings were destroyed or damaged. At the Gallipolis State Institute, 15 buildings sustained a $230,000 loss. Damage in Scioto County was estimated at $2,000,000.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1096.)

Sources

Environmental Data Service. Storm Data, Vol. 10, No. 4, April 1968. Asheville, NC: EDS, Environmental Science Services Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. Accessed 3-11-2020 at: https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-A59CB524-ECCC-404C-90D5-BE6844B96567.pdf

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993, 1,326 pages.

Schmidlin, Thomas W. and Jeanne Appelhans Schmidlin. Thunder in the Heartland: A Chronicle of Outstanding Weather Events in Ohio. Kent State University Press, 1996, 362 pages. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=QANPLARGXFMC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false