Storm Surge in Ohio, March 20 to 21, 1998

Name: Storm Surge in Ohio, March 20 to 21, 1998
Start: 1998-03-20T23:00
End: 1998-03-21T22:00
Location: Ohio

March 20 to 21, 1998 · NWS CLE · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

North to northeast gales of 35 knots, with higher gusts, produced 11 to 14 foot waves on Lake Erie. Also, the water level at Toledo (Lucas County) was seven feet above low water datum.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $450,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

North to northeast gales of 35 knots, with higher gusts, produced 11 to 14 foot waves on Lake Erie. Also, the water level at Toledo (Lucas County) was seven feet above low water datum. This combination resulted in major flooding and beach erosion. Many streets were flooded around Sandusky Bay (Ottawa, Sandusky, Erie) and Maumee Bay (Lucas) and flooding had progressed further inland in some areas. In Sandusky and Huron (Erie), several streets were flooded. At Beachwood Cove in Huron, the 30 foot high breakwall was destroyed and just a few feet of land separated the homes from the lake.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 storm surge/tide. Local standard time, as filed.

Storm Surge/Tide, Erie

When: March 20, 11:00 PM EST to March 21, 10:00 PM EST
Where: Erie County, Sandusky
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 41.432, -82.700 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm Surge/Tide, Lorain

When: March 20, 11:00 PM EST to March 21, 10:00 PM EST
Where: Lorain County, Lorain
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 41.453, -82.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm Surge/Tide, Lucas

When: March 20, 11:00 PM EST to March 21, 10:00 PM EST
Where: Lucas County, Toledo
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 41.684, -83.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm Surge/Tide, Ottawa

When: March 20, 11:00 PM EST to March 21, 10:00 PM EST
Where: Ottawa County, Port Clinton
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 41.497, -82.941 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm Surge/Tide, Sandusky

When: March 20, 11:00 PM EST to March 21, 10:00 PM EST
Where: Sandusky County, Kingsway
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 41.357, -83.144 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Storm Surge/Tide: Water pushed ashore above the normal tide by a storm’s winds and low pressure.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Ohio in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Ohio, March 1998 The 1998 hurricane season

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: 5637624, 5637625, 5637626, 5637627, 5637628.