Ohio, 2001

Heavy Snow in Ohio, January 20 to 21, 2001

January 20 to 21, 2001 · NWS PBZ · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

An upper-level disturbance passing over east-central Kentucky deepened rapidly during the late afternoon hours of the 20th, producing a several-hour period of heavy snow over east central Ohio. County snowfall totals across the area all ranged between 5 and 7 inches.

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
None recorded
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 PBZ wrote it up.

An upper-level disturbance passing over east-central Kentucky deepened rapidly during the late afternoon hours of the 20th, producing a several-hour period of heavy snow over east central Ohio. County snowfall totals across the area all ranged between 5 and 7 inches.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 20, 6:21 PM EST, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 20, 6:21 PM EST, 1 hour 39 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
621 PM EST SAT JAN 20 2001

UPR LOW MOVG EAST SLOWLY...WHILE MDT TO HVY SNOW BANDS CONT TO
MOVE NWD THRU CNTRL AND EASTRN PARTS OF CWA. WL RAISE SNOWFALL
TOTALS 1-3 INCHES THOSE AREAS.

FCSTID = 12
PIT   13  30  19  33 /  60  10  10   0
HLG   13  30  15  31 /  60  10  10   0
MGW   14  32  16  33 /  80  10   0   0
ZZV   13  32  13  31 /  70  10  10   0
PHD   13  32  13  31 /  70  10  10   0
FKL   10  29  13  29 /  50  10  10   0
DUJ   10  29  13  29 /  50  10  10   0
LBE   12  30  14  31 /  80  10  10   0
BTP   10  29  13  29 /  50  10  10   0
IDI   10  29  13  29 /  50  10  10   0
ODM   11  29  14  29 /  80  10   0   0

.PBZ...
MD...WINTER STORM WARNING TIL 4 AM SUN MDZ001. OH...NONE.
PA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TIL 4 AM SUN PAZ030>032.
WV...WINTER STORM WARNING TIL 4 AM SUN WVZ023-041.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TIL MIDNIGHT WVZ004-012-021-022.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Belmont

When
January 20, 8:00 PM EST to January 21, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Belmont forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.016, -80.988 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Guernsey

When
January 20, 8:00 PM EST to January 21, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Guernsey forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.052, -81.494 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Monroe

When
January 20, 8:00 PM EST to January 21, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Monroe forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.727, -81.083 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Muskingum

When
January 20, 8:00 PM EST to January 21, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Muskingum forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.965, -81.944 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Noble

When
January 20, 8:00 PM EST to January 21, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Noble forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.766, -81.456 (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 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, January 2001

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: 5229605, 5229606, 5229607, 5229608, 5229609.