Winter Storm — Richland, Ohio

2008-03-07 to 2008-03-08 · Richland, Ohio

Event narrative

Snow began across the area during the morning hours of the 7th and continued for the next day and a half. During the daytime on the 7th, visibilities were reduced to a half mile or less at times, but then during the evening hours the snow lightened up considerably. The snow intensified through the overnight hours into the 8th, and moderate to heavy snow continued through the daytime hours before tapering to flurries in the late afternoon and evening. At the end of this event, a trained spotter in Mansfield measured 18.0 inches. At the Mansfield Lahm Airport, 19.7 inches was measured. Winds on the 7th and 8th were gusty causing considerable blowing and drifting of snow. A peak wind gust on the 8th at Mansfield Lahm Airport measured 37 mph. Many accidents were reported during this storm.

Wider weather episode

On the morning of March 7th, low pressure was located along the Gulf Coast States. Snow spread into the region during the morning and afternoon hours, then tapered off a bit during the evening and overnight into the 8th. Snow intensified across the area as low pressure moved north into the Carolinas by the morning of the 8th. Snow persisted across much of the area, but did mix with sleet and freezing rain at times across far eastern Ohio. By the evening hours of the 8th, snow began tapering off from west to east. Any areas of mixed precipitation across far eastern Ohio changed back to snow before ending. The low pressure continued intensifying as it moved into New England by the morning hours of the 9th. Some light snow and flurries persisted overnight, mainly from around Cleveland and points east, but by midday on the 9th the snow tapered off across the entire area. Throughout this event, locations across northwest Ohio picked up between 5.0 and 10.0 inches. Those locations experienced a rather steep gradient for snowfall totals. In eastern Ohio, snowfall amounts were slightly lower as sleet and freezing rain mixed in at times causing reduced snowfall amounts. Locations across northeast and north-central Ohio saw the greatest snowfall amounts with 21.5 inches in Broadview Heights in Cuyahoga County, and 21.0 inches in Galion located in Crawford County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 87626. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.