August 11, 2026 wind storm in Columbus and Central Ohio

What happened

The National Weather Service describes two rounds of severe thunderstorms on August 11, 2026, with widespread, significant damage. The morning round hit Central Ohio; the afternoon round, which hit southwest Ohio, was classified as a derecho by the Storm Prediction Center.

• 82 mph gust at John Glenn Columbus International Airport and 70 mph at the Ohio State University Airport (NWS)
• The NWS estimated straight-line winds of 90 to 100 mph in Upper Arlington, near Upper Arlington High School and along Mount Holyoke Road, Wellesley Drive, Halstead Road, Pickwick Drive and North Star Road
• An EF1 tornado in south Columbus, from near East Hinman Avenue across Parsons Avenue and Barack Park toward Fairwood Avenue, with roof damage to homes and businesses
• The NWS noted widespread damage in the Upper Arlington, Hilliard, Dublin and Reynoldsburg areas; WOSU also reported damage in Clintonville and Bexley
• AEP Ohio reported more than 130,000 customers without power that afternoon

What winds like these do to a roof

Strong gusts lift the edges of shingles and break the seal that holds them down. A shingle can crease and settle back flat, so it looks fine from the street while no longer being sealed. Those are the shingles that blow off in the next storm.

Weren't home, or not sure the storm hit your house?

That's common. Many storms hit at night or while people are at work, and roof damage is often hard to see from the ground. Signs you can check safely from the ground:

• Missing shingles, or shingle pieces in the yard or gutters
• Shingles that look lifted or out of line, especially along ridges, edges and corners
• Loose or bent flashing, vents or gutters, and siding pieces blown loose
• Broken limbs near the house, or neighbors getting roofs replaced

Before you file a claim

1. Get the storm report for your address. Hail and wind vary street by street. We pull a storm report for your exact property so the date of loss you give your insurance company matches what actually happened at your home.
2. Get a free inspection. We photograph and mark any damage we find. If we don't see storm damage, we'll tell you, and you won't need to file.
3. Don't wait. Most policies require you to report damage promptly, and many set a time limit for filing a storm claim. Check your policy for its deadline.
4. File with your insurer. We'll meet your adjuster at the house and point out the damage we documented.

A claim should only include damage the storm actually caused. That's why we check the storm report and inspect before you file. Lifetime Roofing Company is a roofing contractor, not a public adjuster.