| Formed: | November 10, 2002, 3:15 p.m. EST |
| Duration: | 70 minutes |
| Dissipated: | November 10, 2002, 4:25 p.m. EST |
| Basin: | atl |
| Winds: | NaNmph |
| Fujita-Scale: | F4 |
| Enhanced: | no |
On November 10, 2002, a violent tornado struck the city of Van Wert and the community of Roselms, both in Ohio. The National Weather Service rated the worst of the damage F4 on the Fujita scale, near and in the Van Wert area. In Van Wert, hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed, with several homes and businesses sustaining F4 damage. One of those buildings, the Twin Cinemas movie theater, was leveled by the tornado, but the sixty people located inside the theater survived. The tornado also devastated Roselms, where only a single structure remained standing. Overall, the tornado killed four people, injured seventeen others, and caused over $30 million in damages.
The tornado touched down approximately 4miles northeast of the village of Willshire, Van Wert County, Ohio, and began moving northeast towards the city of Van Wert.[1] [2] Immediately after touching down, the tornado rapidly intensified to F4 on the Fujita scale as it crossed Zook Road approximately 5miles southwest of Van Wert.[2] Around Zook Road, a 75-year-old man was killed when the tornado destroyed his house at F4 intensity.[2] [3] [4] According to the National Weather Service (NWS), he was attempting to shield his wheelchair-bound wife when the tornado struck.[3] As the tornado continued into Van Wert, it maintained F4 intensity.[2] In Van Wert, 43 homes and five businesses were destroyed, and 164 homes and 27 businesses were damaged.[2] The Twin Cinemas and five buildings at an industrial park sustained F4 damage.[2] [5] In Twin Cinemas, 60 people, mostly children, were watching a movie when the tornado destroyed the building.[2] Vehicles from the cinema's parking lot were thrown into its seats.[2] An 18-year-old man was killed when the car, which he had been driving near the cinema, was thrown into the cinema's seats.[2] [3] The tornado destroyed three county engineering buildings in Van Wert.[2] After passing through the industrial park, several homes and business in Van Wert sustained F3-to-F4 damage.[2] [6]
After leaving Van Wert, the tornado continued northeast and crossed into Paulding County, where it struck the community of Roselms. Only one building in Roselms remained standing after the tornado.[2] Every structure in Roselms sustained up to F3 damage, and the NWS entire 9adj=midNaNadj=mid track of the tornado through Paulding County was rated F3 by the NWS.[2] [7] According to Dayton Daily News, 23 homes, 32 barns, and a church in Paulding County were completely leveled, and 19 more homes were damaged.[8] The tornado also leveled the Washington Township building,[4] and continued northeast at F3 intensity as it crossed into Putnam County.[7] In Putnam County, the tornado destroyed a mobile home in Continental, killing two people.[2] [3] After traveling 7miles through the county, the tornado rapidly weakened to F0 intensity just before it crossed into Defiance County.[2] While traveling 3miles through Defiance County, the tornado skipped, and caused F0 damage to five homes and some outbuildings before crossing into Henry County,[2] where it continued to skip, and caused F0 damage to outbuildings and trees along a 12miles path. The tornado then lifted approximately 2miles southeast of Malinta.[2]
In total, the tornado killed four people and injured seventeen others along a 53miles path, and reached a peak width of 880yd.[2] [9] It caused at least $30 million (2002 USD) in damage in Van Wert.[2]
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) later stated that of the entire Veterans Day weekend tornado outbreak—which consisted of 76 tornadoes—the Van Wert–Roselms tornado was the most remembered due to:
the heroic efforts of [Scott Shaffer] at the Van Wert Cinemas. After hearing the tornado warning that was broadcasted over the county's warning system, the manager led sixty patrons to interior hallways and restrooms. This was only a few minutes before the tornado destroyed the theater. Besides leveling the building, three cars were tossed into the seats that were previously occupied by moviegoers, many of which were children.[10] [11] [12]Van Wert County EMA Director Rick McCoy was able to give the city a 26-minute lead time for the tornado by continuously running Van Wert's tornado sirens for 26 minutes.[13] In the aftermath of this tornado, Van Wert County gave a NOAA Weather Radio to every business in the county.[13]