Ohio, 1998

Flash Flooding in Ohio, January 7 to 8, 1998

January 7 to 8, 1998 · NWS CLE · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Heavy thunderstorm rain on already saturated soil caused flooding of small streams, low lying areas, roads and basements. Vrooman Road (Lake County) was covered with up to four feet of water in some spots.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
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  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$80,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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.

Heavy thunderstorm rain on already saturated soil caused flooding of small streams, low lying areas, roads and basements. Vrooman Road (Lake County) was covered with up to four feet of water in some spots. Several basements were flooded, especially in the Vermilion area (Lorain).

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Erie

When
January 7, 7:41 PM EST to 10:50 PM EST
Where
Erie County, Countywide
Coordinates
41.432, -82.700 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Huron

When
January 7, 7:46 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Huron County, Countywide
Coordinates
41.146, -82.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Lorain

When
January 7, 7:51 PM EST to 10:55 PM EST
Where
Lorain County, Countywide
Property damage
$80,000
Coordinates
41.453, -82.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Medina

When
January 7, 7:53 PM EST to 9:20 PM EST
Where
Medina County, Countywide
Coordinates
41.118, -81.900 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Cuyahoga

When
January 7, 7:56 PM EST to 9:25 PM EST
Where
Cuyahoga County, Euclid
Coordinates
41.479, -81.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Lake

When
January 7, 8:07 PM EST to January 8, 12:50 AM EST
Where
Lake County, Countywide
Coordinates
41.714, -81.245 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Mahoning

When
January 7, 9:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where
Mahoning County, Countywide
Coordinates
41.015, -80.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Ashtabula

When
January 7, 9:40 PM EST to January 8, 1:15 AM EST
Where
Ashtabula County, Countywide
Coordinates
41.896, -80.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Trumbull

When
January 7, 9:45 PM EST to 11:15 PM EST
Where
Trumbull County, Countywide
Coordinates
41.317, -80.761 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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, January 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: 5635902, 5635903, 5635905, 5635907, 5635901, 5635904, 5635906, 5635900, 5635908.