Sheriff's letter of appreciation for storm resopnse teams and volunteers below

NWS DAMAGE SURVEY__Brief EF1 tornado occurred just south of Kenton in Hardin County
at the Kenton County Fairgrounds.

The fairgrounds have issued a letter regarding the extent of damage HERE.

03/26/2026, 08:46 p.m.
EDT Rating: EF1
Estimated Peak Wind: 90 mph
Path Length /statute/: 0.13 miles
Path Width /maximum/: 75 yards

Survey Summary: The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado near the city of Kenton in Hardin County, Ohio. The peak wind estimates were near 90 mph, resulting in a lower end EF1 classification. Some damage points were caused by winds estimated to be closer to 80 moh or hiaher end EFO.

This tornado occurred during the evening hours on Thursday, Mar 26, 2026. There was a cluster of storms approaching northern and western in which an outflow boundary began causing power ine damage near 8pm. As the cluster of storms continued moving east southeast through the county, wind damage occurred near Alger which was more conducive to straight line winds. When the final storm of the larger complex of storms pushed toward Kenton, it produced a brief tornado at the Hardin County Fairgrounds just south of County Road 140, with minor roof damage first observed. Several wooden power poles were damaged and even snapped completely in half. One hardwood tree was also completely snapped on the northern side of the fairgrounds. One building experienced a major loss of metal roofing panels and another causing a partial collapse of the roof. There was also uplift of an open- ended barn structure,in which large support poles were lifted and shifted slightly from the ground. The final damage occurred on the eastern side of the fairgrounds with additional power poles
snapped and minor roof damage to additional buildings.

The National Weather Service would like to thank the Hardin County Emergency Management Agency for their assistance with this damage survey.

SHERIFF EVERHART LETTER

I would like to take a moment to thank the phenomenal group of people who stepped up last evening while we dealt with the horrendous and dangerous weather. Thank you to the awesome team of communications staff that worked the multiple radios, phones and pagers. Those on duty and those who came in at the drop of a hat to assist. What an amazing team we have. The deputies who were on duty, the deputies that came in and my admin staff who came in as well. You guys and girls rock. The VIPS that came in to babysit downed lines and trees. The group of Volunteers In Police Service that we have are simply invaluable and we thank them for coming in to assist.

Thank you to all of our local police departments too. What great partners you all are. This county is better because of the partnerships we have with each other and it does not go unnoticed by me and many others.

I would also like to thank all of our county Fire and EMS units. You all showed up when needed and performed like the professionals you are. We couldn’t survive without you.

A big thank you to Hardin County Engineer Luke Underwood and his staff. Again, you guys showed up and took care of the downed trees that were a severe risk to the motoring public. A thank you goes out to all of our township trustees as well for assisting on the township roads.

Lastly but certainly not the least, all of our utility crews who have been working non-stop restoring services to everyone. You all are the unsung heroes and we appreciate you.

I am sure I missed someone and for that I sincerely apologize. It certainly is not intentional. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone. I appreciate everyone for stepping up and pitching in. This county never ceases to amaze me. What an amazing county we have.

Sheriff Keith A Everhart