Lake-Effect Snow — Lake, Ohio

2024-12-05 to 2024-12-06 · Lake, 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 of 40 to 50 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 moderate to heavy falling snow and tumbling temperatures to lead to significantly reduced visibility and very difficult travel conditions. Local school districts closed due to the near blizzard conditions. Shortly before 6:30 AM, the Mentor Police Department reported that Ohio 306 was experiencing major drifting and whiteout conditions in the city, with several vehicles stuck in the snow drifts. After a relative lull during the late morning and into the afternoon hours, additional lake effect snow bands developed late in the afternoon, persisting into the evening hours. Snow became less organized and intense that night, with any lingering snow showers through December 6th producing minimal accumulation and impact. Overall snow amounts were greatest in the higher elevations south of I-90 and generally were marginal. However, the conditions during the morning commute on December 5th led to a high impact winter weather event. Selected spotter reports include 11.5 inches in Kirtland, 5.6 inches in Concord, and 5 inches in LeRoy Township.

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 1260145. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.