CHAMPION — The National Weather Service in Cleveland confirmed Thursday that an EF0 tornado formed in Champion and Southington during severe storms Wednesday evening.

Trumbull County Emergency Management Director John Hickey said he went out early Thursday to assess storm damage in Bristol, Champion and Southington.

He said officials from the weather service also arrived in the area to do their assessment.

An EF0 tornado is the weakest category of tornado with winds between 65 and 85 mph, according to the weather service. The EF stands for Enhanced Fujita Scale, and it’s used to determine a tornado’s strength.

The May 31, 1985, tornado that hit several communities in the county, including Newton Falls and Niles, was an EF5, the strongest. Winds associated with that tornado were more than 200 mph.

Hickey said damage in Champion and Southington was contained to buildings and structures, while in Bristol there was lesser damage with fallen trees and large tree branches.

“There were rooftops of houses and barns that were peeled off,” Hickey said. “There was a garage that was picked up off the ground.

“It seemed the further east the tornado went the damage was less severe.”

He said the same tornado that hit western Trumbull County originated in Windham, where there was severe damage.

The weather service determined the tornado was an EF1 when it was in Windham, Portage County, but lessened to an EF0 when it moved into Trumbull County.

The weather service reported the tornado formed after 7 p.m. and traveled about three miles in Trumbull County with winds of about 80 mph.

In Champion, Hickey said the most damage was done to properties off state Route 305, east of Hoffman Norton Road, where trees were down and shingles torn off rooftops.

He said other properties that he and the weather service officials checked were on Oak Hill Road, Airport Road, Mahoning Avenue and Downs Road.

“That was where most of the damage was,” Champion fire Chief Tom Dempsey said. “There was a camper that was knocked over on its side on Oak Hill.”

Downs Road resident Don Barrett had several large fallen trees in his yard.

“It was a big monster wind,” he said. “They say a tornado sounds like a train going through. It sounded like a really loud roar. I looked out the back window of the laundry room just in time to see all the trees falling over. My neighbor lost a ton of trees.”

Barrett said a neighbor had a tree fall on a garage and a truck, and another neighbor had a tree fall through a second-floor window.

Hickey said no injuries were reported.

There also were reports of a trampoline that was picked up by the wind and wrapped around a utility pole.

Southington Trustee Cindy Speaker said she was aware of a damaged garage on 305 east of Hoffman Norton Road. where there were many toppled trees in the yard.

Hickey said that in August 2023, Bristol had an EF0 tornado when winds of 85 mph hit areas of Hyde Shafer and Thompson Clark roads.

Have an interesting news story? Email Bob Coupland at bcoupland@tribtoday.com.