Winter Weather — Lake, Ohio

2025-01-03 to 2025-01-04 · Lake, Ohio

Event narrative

While the heaviest snow with this event focused inland from Lake Erie and just south of Lake County, periods of moderate to heavy snow showers and squalls along with wind gusts up to 30 MPH led to travel impacts and moderate snow accumulations closer to the lake. The most intense snow and greatest impacts occurred during the morning on January 3rd, with occasional snow showers and brief heavier squalls continuing until early on the 4th. Selected spotter reports from early in the morning on January 3rd through early in the morning on January 4th include: 7 inches in Kirtland, 4.7 inches in Concord, and 4 inches in Mentor-on-the-Lake. A CoCoRaHS observer measured 7.4 inches of snow in Madison.

Wider weather episode

Behind a cold front that crossed early in the morning on January 3, 2025, west-northwest winds ushered in colder air across Lake Erie, setting up another round of lake effect snow showers and squalls across northeastern Ohio. The lake effect activity was most intense from late morning through the evening on January 3rd, with activity gradually winding down on January 4th and tapering to flurries or light snow showers January 4th into January 5th. Multiple short duration but intense snow squalls pushed off of Lake Erie and across Northeast Ohio during the morning and afternoon hours on January 3rd, with these squalls producing quick snow accumulations, near zero visibilities, and dozens of traffic accidents across the Cleveland and Akron metro area. Outside of these more intense snow squalls, event total accumulations reached heavy snow criteria, which along with wind gusts of 20 to 30 MPH led to a prolonged period of poor travel conditions due to periods of reduced visibility and snow-covered roads. A peak snowfall of 17.3 inches was measured by a trained spotter in Troy Township. Other select totals include 13.4 inches in Newbury, 12.7 inches in North Royalton, 12 inches in Burton, Montville, and Mantua, 11.5 inches in Boston Heights, 11 inches in Southington, and 10.5 inches in Brunswick.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1267290. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.