In the evening hours of September 20, 2000, a violent tornado would touch down southwest of Xenia, Ohio before tracking directly towards the town and killing one person as it moved over.

Safety actions taken by the city of Xenia prior to the event were highly criticized after only a single siren located in the town sounded as the tornado approached.

The tornado first touched down near a golf course located southwest of the Green County Airport, and it would begin to track to the northeast, heading directly for Xenia.

The tornado would continue to damage structures as it moved toward Xenia while retaining an estimated forward speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h).

[2] As the tornado struck a fairground northwest of Xenia, it reached its maximum width of 400 yards (370 m) while heavily damaging rows of homes at F3 intensity.

[8] An assessment conducted after the tornado concluded that authorities in Xenia had failed to activate the sirens within time, and as a result only one was sounded.