Lake-Effect Snow — Ashtabula Lakeshore, Ohio

2023-11-27 to 2023-11-29 · Ashtabula Lakeshore, Ohio

Event narrative

Unseasonably cold air flowed over the relatively mild waters of Lake Erie behind a cold front, setting off a significant lake effect snow event beginning November 27th. With initially southwest winds the heaviest snow stayed out over Lake Erie on the 27th. As winds shifted west to northwest overnight November 27-28th the lake effect snow intensified and pushed farther inland, leading to the most impactful phase of the event from late in the evening on the 27th into the early morning of the 28th. Snow rates of over 2' per hour were observed within the heart of the lake effect snow bands in this window. Snow-covered roads and low visibility led to traffic accidents. Lake effect lost some organization during the daylight hours on November 28th but continued accumulating through that evening before shifting out of the area by very early November 29th. A trained spotter in Geneva measured 8.3' of snow. Other select totals from spotters include 6.9' in the town of Edgewood and 6' in Conneaut and Ashtabula.

Wider weather episode

Unseasonably cold air flowed over the relatively mild waters of Lake Erie behind a cold front, setting off a significant lake effect snow event beginning November 27th. The winds were primarily southwesterly on November 27th, keeping most of the snow out over the lake. As winds shifted west to northwest into the morning of November 28th the lake effect snow intensified and spread farther inland, leading to the most impactful phase of the event from late in the evening on the 27th into the morning of the 28th. Snow rates of over 2' per hour were observed within the heart of the lake effect snow bands in this window. Extensive impacts to the morning commute occurred in the Cleveland metro area on November 28th. Lake effect lost some organization during the daylight hours on November 28th but continued accumulating through that evening before shifting back out over Lake Erie by early in the morning November 29th. A peak snowfall of 16.5' was measured by a trained spotter in Jefferson Township. Several other locations measured over a foot of snow, including Harpersfield Township, Pierpont, Rock Creek, and Thompson. Amounts of over 6' were measured as far west as Cuyahoga County, with 7' measured in Pepper Pike and Chagrin Falls.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1148684. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.