Updated March 22, 2026, 10:29 p.m. ET
A cold front moving into central and southwest Ohio that will bring a wild 50-degree temperature swing was ushering in thunderstorms with large hail and damaging winds.
The National Weather Service issued a series of thunderstorm warnings aross Ohio the night of March 22 with more storms looming west of and north of Columbus as of 10 p.m. A severe thunderstorm was scheduled to expire at midnight.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Franklin County until 11:15 p.m. for half-dollar size hail, high winds and dangerous lightning. A separate warning was issued for Madison County.
“At 10:24 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Easton, moving east at 50 mph,” the NWS said.
Large pieces of hail fell in Westerville after dark. Only 4,200 AEP Ohio customers were without power as of 10 p.m.
“Complex of storms beginning to increase in coverage. Storms that develop earlier have better chances for severe potential, with large hail being the primary threat. However, favorable mid atmospheric levels will keep a chance for severe storms down towards the OH River later,” the National Weather Service in Wilmington said in a post on X just after 8 p.m.
The severe weather moved in after temperatures hit a record high of 86 degrees March 22 with wind gusts of 32 mph at about 4 p.m.
Showers and thunderstorms were developing along the cold front pushing into the region. Storms are expected to last until 1 a.m. March 23, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
Additional rain and thunderstorms will occur in the evening, and some of those storms could still produce large hail, according to the weather service.
Temperatures will continue to fall overnight to a low near 35 degrees overnight. The forecast shows March 23 will be mostly cloudy and then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 48 degrees.
Electricity provider AEP Ohio also is warning customers of potential power outages from the storms and urging people to prepare, including charging devices.
Columbus weather radar
Central Ohio weather forecast
Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Southwest wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1 a.m, then a slight chance of showers between 1 a.m. and 3am. Low around 36. North wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 48. North wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. North wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
This story was updated with developing storm information.
Delaware County and eastern Columbus suburbs reporter Maria DeVito can be reached at mdevito@dispatch.com and @mariadevito13.dispatch.com on Bluesky and @MariaDeVito13 on X
