Ohio, 1998

Heavy Snow in Ohio, December 31, 1998

December 31, 1998 · NWS CLE · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Lake effect snow began on the afternoon of December 31st and continued into the morning hours of January 1, 1999. The snow accumulated four to ten inches in Lake County and the Ashtabula Lakeshore, and four to eight inches in inland Ashtabula County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
$75,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS CLE wrote it up.

Lake effect snow began on the afternoon of December 31st and continued into the morning hours of January 1, 1999. The snow accumulated four to ten inches in Lake County and the Ashtabula Lakeshore, and four to eight inches in inland Ashtabula County. Six inches of snow accumulated across much of Geauga County. Many minor accidents were attributed to the wintry weather and resulting road conditions.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Ashtabula

When
December 31, 3:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Ashtabula forecast zone
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.896, -80.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Geauga

When
December 31, 3:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Geauga forecast zone
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.500, -81.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lake

When
December 31, 3:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.714, -81.245 (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

More

Every storm in Ohio in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, December 1998

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: 5673420, 5673421, 5673422.