iStockphoto / mikdam/Joseph Kelly
image of a large tornado near a Columbus, Ohio road sign
Columbus, Ohio was struck with violent weather on Tuesday morning. Perhaps the most dangerous situation was when a tornado crossed a busy I-71 with cars passing in both directions which led to one car being flipped over.
The tense and dangerous situation was captured on a live traffic camera operated by the Ohio Department of Transportation. At approximately 10:08 am, the tornado can be seen crossing the road.
Tornado Crosses I-71 In Columbus, Ohio And Flips Car
Footage of the storm hitting the busy highway immediately went viral across social networks such as Threads, X, Instagram, and Facebook. A tornado warning was issued in Central Ohio earlier this morning and wind speeds of up to 82 MPH were recorded in the Columbus area.
Despite the video evidence (below) of the tornado crossing the highway, the National Weather Service will still need to investigate before the tornado is confirmed and what the strength of the storm is found to be remains unseen at this point. But you can watch the tense moment for yourself here:
Severe storms moving through Columbus on I-71 at Weber Road. @NWSILN pic.twitter.com/InoEZ4MoNl
— Matt Bruning (@mbruning81) August 11, 2026
Following the band of violent storms there were thousands around Columbus, OH that found themselves without power as outages were estimated to impact around 100,000 people.
It was a particularly active morning for extreme weather throughout Ohio and the Great Lakes region. Around 300-350 miles away, parts of the city of Chicago were also under tornado warnings. WTTW has reported that 300,000 customers throughout the Chicago region were left without power following violent storms.
This is what a look to the Southern suburbs of Chicago looked like this morning as storms approached:
South ‘burbs are about to get smoked https://t.co/8IizeFCHdi pic.twitter.com/a7XDzSrJBX
— Nick Wojcicki (@nickwoj98) August 11, 2026
Be careful out there!