Heavy Snow in Ohio, December 5 to 7, 1997

Name: Heavy Snow in Ohio, December 5 to 7, 1997
Start: 1997-12-05T02:00
End: 1997-12-07T05:00
Location: Ohio

December 5 to 7, 1997 · NWS CLE · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

2 heavy snow, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Ashtabula

When: December 5, 2:00 AM EST to December 7, 5:00 AM EST
Where: Ashtabula forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.896, -80.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A prolonged period of lake effect snow began during the early morning hours on the 5th and continued through the early morning hours on the 7th with total storm accumulations of as much as 10 to 20 inches. A predominantly west wind up to 25 miles per hour brought persistent squalls, causing white outs from blowing and drifting snow. Several minor accidents occurred and one person was seriously injured in a two car accident in Troy Township (Geauga County).

Heavy Snow, Geauga

When: December 5, 2:00 AM EST to December 7, 5:00 AM EST
Where: Geauga forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.500, -81.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Ohio in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Ohio, December 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5626521, 5626522.