Lake-Effect Snow — Ashtabula Lakeshore, Ohio

2024-12-05 · Ashtabula Lakeshore, Ohio

Event narrative

An arctic cold front blasted through Northeastern Ohio shortly after midnight December 5th. A band of snow squalls accompanied this front, with wind gusts over 40 MPH measured. Lake effect snow quickly developed into the morning of the 5th as winds shifted more northwesterly and temperatures fell into the 20s behind this front. The main window of impactful snow and blowing snow occurred through the mid-morning hours on the 5th with significant impacts to the morning commute. During the commute, 35 to 45 MPH wind gusts combined with steady falling snow and tumbling temperatures led to significantly reduced visibility and very difficult travel conditions. Local school districts closed, and the Ashtabula County sheriff declared a Level 3 snow emergency shortly before 7:00 AM due to the near blizzard conditions, closing all roads across the county to non-emergency travel. The heaviest snow fell inland from Lake Erie, with the strong winds further hampering measurement efforts. Snow reports across the area generally only ranged from 1 to 3 inches, but the extensive pre-existing snow pack and strong winds, along with timing during the morning commute, led to a period of high-impact winter weather. Some additional roof collapses were noted as new snow and strong winds combined with a heavy pre-existing snowpack.

Wider weather episode

An arctic cold front blasted through Northeastern Ohio around and shortly after midnight December 5th. A band of snow squalls accompanied this front, with wind gusts of 50 to 60 MPH measured and visibility below one-quarter of a mile reported. Lake effect snow quickly developed into the morning of the 5th as winds shifted more northwesterly and temperatures fell through the 20s behind this front. An initial burst of lake effect snow occurred during the early to mid-morning hours on the 5th, with rates up to 1 inch per hour and 35 to 45 MPH wind gusts. This led to significant impacts to the morning commute, with hundreds of local school districts closing for the day and whiteout conditions and drifting snow reported. After a lull, lake effect snow turned moderate to heavy again during the afternoon and evening hours, leading to impacts to the evening commute. The lake effect snow gradually became less intense and more disorganized by early in the morning on December 6th as winds also subsided significantly. The peak snowfall from this event was 17.5 inches, measured by a CoCoRaHS observer in Middlefield. Other select totals from spotters include 15 inches in Chester Township, 14.1 inches in Russell Township, 14 inches in Richmond Township, 12.5 inches in Burton, 12 inches in Orwell, 11.5 inches in Kirtland, 11.2 inches in Southington, 10.1 inches in Sagamore Hills, and 8.7 inches in Chagrin Falls. A Cooperative Observer in Chardon measured 15 inches of snow. A CoCoRaHS observer in Hiram measured 14.5 inches of snow.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1260143. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.