Lake-Effect Snow — Ashtabula Lakeshore, Ohio

2016-12-08 to 2016-12-10 · Ashtabula Lakeshore, Ohio

Event narrative

Cold winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the morning hours of December 8th. Winds were initially close to being parallel to the south shore of the lake which kept the heavier snow confined to the lake shore areas. Late on the 8th, the flow became westerly and this pushed some of the heavier snow further inland. West to northwest flow then continued on the 9th and 10th causing the lake effect snow to persist. By evening on the 8th, six or more inches of snow had fallen over the northern ends of Ashtabula and Erie Counties. By daybreak on the 9th the heavier snow had shifted further inland. The snow began to diminish in intensity during the early morning hours of the 10th and ended most areas during the afternoon of the 10th. Gusty winds accompanied the snow, especially on the 8th when gusts were as high as 30 mph. These winds combined with the snow to reduce visibilities to less than a quarter mile at times. A lot of drifting was also reported. Three day snow totals varied considerably but some areas saw more than two feet of snow. A peak total in Ashtabula County of 28.1 inches was measured southeast of Pierpont with 22.0 inches at Roaming Shores. Other amounts include: 21.0 inches south of Geneva; 20.5 inches near Jefferson; 19.1 inches at Conneaut; 17.0 inches at both Bushnell and Hartsgrove; 16.2 inches at Andover; 14.3 inches at Conneaut and 9.8 inches in the City of Ashtabula. This lake effect event had huge impacts for Northeast Ohio. Hundreds of accidents were reported causing significant traffic problems. Some schools were closed on the 8th and many on the 9th.

Wider weather episode

Cold winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the morning hours of December 8th. Winds were initially close to being parallel to the south shore of the lake which kept the heavier snow confined to the lake shore areas. Late on the 8th, the flow became westerly and this pushed some of the heavier snow further inland. West to northwest flow then continued on the 9th and 10th causing the lake effect snow to persist. By evening on the 8th, six or more inches of snow had fallen over the northern ends of Ashtabula and Erie Counties. By daybreak on the 9th the heavier snow had shifted further inland. An unusually strong and persistent band of snow developed over the northeastern tip of Cuyahoga County and stretched across Lake County. Snowfall rates with that band were in excess of 2 inches per hour at times. Kirtland in western Lake County saw a total of 32.8 inches with over 17 inches of this total falling between 8 am and 8 pm on the 9th. At the same time about a foot of snow fell over Euclid in Cuyahoga County. This band severely impacted traffic across the eastern portion of the Cleveland Metro Area with Interstate 90 brought to a stop by several major accidents. The worst of the accidents occurred around 3pm on the 8th in Leroy Township in Lake County. Over 50 trucks and cars were involved in an accident that resulted in 3 serious injuries and many minor injuries. Car crashes continued to be reported on the 9th. Some of the bands of snow also found their way to Geauga County and also central and southern Ashtabula County. The heaviest snow in these areas was also during the daylight hours of the 9th when a few locations saw more than a foot of snow. In some areas the snow was intermittent with periods of moderate to heavy snow followed by hours of flurries. The snow began to diminish in intensity during the early morning hours of the 10th and ended most areas during the afternoon of the 10th. Gusty winds accompanied the snow, especially on the 8th when gusts were as high as 30 mph. These winds combined with the snow to reduce visibilities to less than a quarter mile at times. A lot of drifting was also reported. Three day snow totals varied considerably but some areas saw more than two feet of snow. Snowfall totals in Lake County from the 8th through the 10th included 32.8 inches at Kirtland; 21.5 inches in Richmond Heights; 21.1 inches south of Willoughby and 18.0 inches at Mentor. In Cuyahoga County the peak total was 23.7 inches in Euclid. Some totals from Geauga County include 28.9 inches at Thompson; 28.5 inches at South Madison; 27.0 inches at Chardon; 23.5 inches at Montville; 22.1 inches in Hambden Township and 20.0 inches in Claridon Township. A peak total in Ashtabula County of 28.1 inches was measured southeast of Pierpont with 22.0 inches at Roaming Shores. Other amounts include: 21.0 inches south of Geneva; 20.5 inches near Jefferson; 19.1 inches at Conneaut; 17.0 inches at both Bushnell and Hartsgrove; 16.2 inches at Andover; 14.3 inches at Conneaut and 9.8 inches in the City of Ashtabula. This lake effect event had huge impacts for Northeast Ohio. Hundreds of accidents were reported causing significant traffic problems. Some schools were closed on the 8th and many on the 9th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 665838. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.