Ohio, 1999

Winter Storm in Ohio, January 2, 1999

January 2, 1999 · NWS CLE · 28 events in 28 counties and zones

Snow changed to freezing rain and sleet, with a brief change to rain as temperatures rose slightly above freezing, and then back to snow. Temperatures dropped quickly into the teens causing the wet snow and ice to refreeze and creating significant ice on the ground, roads and sidewalks.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 28 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
56
Property damage
$600,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
28

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.

Snow changed to freezing rain and sleet, with a brief change to rain as temperatures rose slightly above freezing, and then back to snow. Temperatures dropped quickly into the teens causing the wet snow and ice to refreeze and creating significant ice on the ground, roads and sidewalks. Snow accumulations generally averaged six to eight inches with as much as 10 inches in northwest Ohio. Travel was restricted when some counties declared level two or three emergencies, including Wood, Lucas, Seneca and Hancock. Air temperatures eventually fell to near zero and the icy conditions and cold temperatures, with wind chills of around 30 degrees below zero, continued throughout the first week of January, closing schools and causing many minor car crashes and fender benders. Dozens of people were injured from falls on the ice. Many sidewalks and secondary streets remained uncleared for days due to the combination of very cold temperatures and thick ice. Salt was in such demand that most stores ran out and had difficulty restocking.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

28 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Knox

When
January 2, 4:00 AM EST to 4:50 PM EST
Where
Knox forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.399, -82.421 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marion

When
January 2, 4:00 AM EST to 4:45 PM EST
Where
Marion forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
40.587, -83.161 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Morrow

When
January 2, 4:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Morrow forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
40.524, -82.794 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Crawford

When
January 2, 4:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Crawford forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
40.851, -82.920 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Holmes

When
January 2, 5:00 AM EST to 5:27 PM EST
Where
Holmes forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
40.561, -81.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wyandot

When
January 2, 5:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Wyandot forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.842, -83.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hancock

When
January 2, 6:00 AM EST to 5:30 PM EST
Where
Hancock forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
41.002, -83.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lucas

When
January 2, 6:00 AM EST to 4:18 PM EST
Where
Lucas forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$70,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.684, -83.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wood

When
January 2, 6:00 AM EST to 6:12 PM EST
Where
Wood forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.362, -83.623 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ottawa

When
January 2, 6:00 AM EST to 6:19 PM EST
Where
Ottawa forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.497, -82.941 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sandusky

When
January 2, 6:00 AM EST to 7:50 PM EST
Where
Sandusky forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.357, -83.144 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Seneca

When
January 2, 6:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Seneca forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.124, -83.128 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Huron

When
January 2, 7:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Huron forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.146, -82.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Erie

When
January 2, 7:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Erie forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.432, -82.700 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lorain

When
January 2, 7:00 AM EST to 5:30 PM EST
Where
Lorain forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$70,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.453, -82.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ashland

When
January 2, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Ashland forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
40.846, -82.271 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Richland

When
January 2, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Richland forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.775, -82.536 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wayne

When
January 2, 8:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Wayne forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.829, -81.888 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Stark

When
January 2, 8:30 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Stark forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.814, -81.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Summit

When
January 2, 8:30 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Summit forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.126, -81.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cuyahoga

When
January 2, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Cuyahoga forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$75,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.479, -81.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lake

When
January 2, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.714, -81.245 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ashtabula

When
January 2, 9:00 AM EST to 9:15 PM EST
Where
Ashtabula forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.896, -80.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Geauga

When
January 2, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Geauga forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.500, -81.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Trumbull

When
January 2, 9:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Trumbull forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.317, -80.761 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Mahoning

When
January 2, 9:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Mahoning forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.015, -80.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Portage

When
January 2, 9:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Portage forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.168, -81.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Medina

When
January 2, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Medina forecast zone
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.118, -81.900 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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, January 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: 5682730, 5682731, 5682732, 5682733, 5682734, 5682869, 5682735, 5682736, 5682737, 5682738, 5682739, 5682868, 5682753, 5682754, 5682755, 5682740, 5682741, 5682752, 5682749, 5682750, 5682742, 5682743, 5682744, 5682745, 5682746, 5682747, 5682748, 5682751.