Heavy Snow, Ashtabula
- When
- December 23, 5:00 AM EST to December 24, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Ashtabula forecast zone
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.896, -80.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Ohio, December 23 to 24, 1999
Cold northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie resulted in the development of lake effect snow bands just before sunrise on the 23rd. Heavy snow first fell near the lakeshore in Lake and Ashtabula Counties.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $575,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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.
Cold northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie resulted in the development of lake effect snow bands just before sunrise on the 23rd. Heavy snow first fell near the lakeshore in Lake and Ashtabula Counties. Snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour were observed with total accumulations in these areas of 15 to 25 inches in a little more than 12 hours. Many roads had to be temporarily closed with snarled traffic on roads kept open. Scattered power outages were also reported. The heaviest snow bands shifted to inland sections of Ashtabula County late on the 23rd and finally into Geauga and Cuyahoga counties early on the 24th. Accumulations of 6 to 10 inches were measured over the eastern half of Cuyahoga County with up to a foot of snow in Geauga County. Snow totals across inland sections of Lake and Ashtabula Counties were generally 20 to 24 inches with isolated reports of up to 3 feet.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Cuyahoga
- When
- December 23, 5:00 AM EST to December 24, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Cuyahoga forecast zone
- Property damage
- $75,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.479, -81.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Geauga
- When
- December 23, 5:00 AM EST to December 24, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Geauga forecast zone
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.500, -81.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Lake
- When
- December 23, 5:00 AM EST to December 24, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Lake forecast zone
- Property damage
- $200,000
- 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 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, December 1999
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: 5720696, 5720697, 5720698, 5720699.