Heavy Snow in Ohio, March 26 to 27, 2001

Name: Heavy Snow in Ohio, March 26 to 27, 2001
Start: 2001-03-26T14:00
End: 2001-03-27T07:00
Location: Ohio

March 26 to 27, 2001 · NWS CLE · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Northwest winds across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the afternoon of the 26th. The heaviest snow fell during the late evening hours.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $180,000
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.

Northwest winds across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the afternoon of the 26th. The heaviest snow fell during the late evening hours. Accumulations of up to 8 inches were reported in Lake, Ashtabula and Geauga Counties with around 7 inches of snow in eastern Cuyahoga County.

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 Cleveland, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 26, 11:31 AM EST, 2 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 26, 11:31 AM EST, 2 hours 29 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
1131 AM EST MON MAR 26 2001

SENDING AN UPDATE TO THE FORECAST FOR DIMINISHING LAKE EFFECT SNOW
SHOWERS. WILL GO AHEAD AND DROP THE ADVISORY AND WARNING FOR LAKE
EFFECT SNOW.

REST OF THE FORECAST UNCHANGED.

LOMBARDY

300 AM EST MON MAR 26 2001

LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHWRS CONT CLE/LORAIN AREA ON EWD INTO OUR PA
CNTYS.  WL CONT LK EFFECT SNOW WRNG THIS MRNG FOR LCLY ADDITIONAL 2
TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW BFR SNOW SHOWERS BGN TO TAPER OFF TO FLRYS WITH
VORT MAX MVG E AND SHUD BGN TO SEE INTNSTY DCRS WITH LOSS OF STG UVV
THAT WAS GOING ON OVERNIGHT. ADV WAS SET TO EXPIRTE ERY THIS MORNING
FOR AREA SURROUNDING WRNG AREA BUT WILL EXTEND IT FOR THE MRNG HOURS
AS SOME FAIRLY STG SNW SHWRS STILL REACHING THESE AREAS.  WRN AREAS
WL LKLY BE FREE OF ANY FLRYS THIS MRNG BUT UPR S/W DROPPING SOUTH
TWD RGN THIS AFTN AND WK SFC TROF APCHG SHUD SEE SOME FLRYS THERE
SPCLY DURNG AFTN.  CHC FLRYS OR SNOW SHWRS TNGT WITH SFC TROF AND
UPR S/W.  ETS AND MESO ETS INDCTG DEENT UVV ALGT LAKE SHORE AGAIN E
OF CLE SO WENT WITH LKLY POPS TNGT NE CNTYS.

.CLE...
OH...NONE.
PA...NONE.

WCR

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Ashtabula

When: March 26, 2:00 PM EST to March 27, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Ashtabula forecast zone
Property damage: $40,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.896, -80.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Cuyahoga

When: March 26, 2:00 PM EST to March 27, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Cuyahoga forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.479, -81.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Geauga

When: March 26, 2:00 PM EST to March 27, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Geauga forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.500, -81.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lake

When: March 26, 2:00 PM EST to March 27, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Property damage: $40,000
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

Every storm in Ohio in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Ohio, March 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: 5235827, 5235828, 5235829, 5235830.