The National Weather Service this afternoon confirmed a tornado touchdown Wednesday evening in Arcanum in Darke County.
It hit at 5:07 p.m. The EF-0 tornado had an estimated maximum wind speed of 65 mph and did not cause any injuries or deaths. Four tornadoes were confirmed in Indiana, including an EF-o that touched down near Fountain City in Wayne County.
The damage at Arcon Builders near Arcanum was cited as evidence of a tornado by the NWS. Part of the roof of the construction company came down and left a lot of debris strewn across the parking lot and area.
According to Storm Prediction Center data, the Arcanum tornado makes for the sixth Ohio tornado of 2015, and only the fifth December tornado in Ohio on record since 1940.
Also in the Arcanum area, a local business owner said her hair salon was packed with customers getting their hair and nails done when the sirens went off. The ceiling lifted about an inch and the front door blew open and the bathroom caved in, sending the people inside to seek shelter. Most of the roof came off, with only a large piece left hanging from the roof structure.
“When we went into the hallway part then we could just hear metal crunching and rolling and that was the roof coming off,” said Amber Profitt of Yes Deere Hair and Nail Boutique.
Further down the road, utility poles and power lines were down, and an area barn collapsed that contained a truck and construction supplies that property owner Jon Knight said caused an estimated $75,000 damage.
“Nobody was hurt, nobody was here, nobody was at the house … so that was a blessing. A building can be replaced so no big deal,” he said.