Winter Storm — Lorain, Ohio

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

Event narrative

Snow began during the morning hours of the 7th and continued through the evening hours of the 8th. The snow was light through much of the day on the 7th as by evening between 1.0 and 3.0 inches fell across the area. The snow gradually intensified overnight and continued moderate to heavy at times through much of the 8th. Gusty winds between 20 and 30 mph caused considerable blowing and drifting of snow through the day with snow drifts several feet deep. Roads throughout the area were nearly impassable at times because of the blowing and drifting snow. By the end of the event, trained spotters measured 16.0 inches in Wellington, 13.5 inches in North Ridgeville, and 13.5 inches in Oberlin. Numerous accidents were reported across the area.

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 87673. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.