Heavy Snow in Ohio, February 4, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Ohio, February 4, 2002
Start: 2002-02-04T06:00
End: 2002-02-04T18:00
Location: Ohio

February 4, 2002 · NWS CLE · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Cold northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop before daybreak. These snow showers intensified during the late morning 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: $130,000
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 caused lake effect snow showers to develop before daybreak. These snow showers intensified during the late morning hours. Snow accumulations of six to seven inches were reported in Geauga, Ashtabula, Portage and Trumbull Counties.

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 Feb 4, 2:45 AM EST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 4, 2:45 AM EST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
245 AM EST MON FEB 4 2002

WL CONT WITH A FCST SIMILAR TO PREVIOUS PACKAGE AS NMRS S/WAVES DROP
SE ACRS FA.  CDFNT NOW JUST ABT TO KCLE WITH -SN OCCURG ALG THIS
BNDRY.  ACCUMS SO FAR HV BEEN LGT WITH VSBYS IN THE 1 TO 2 MILE
RANGE.  VERY STG CAA BHND FNT AND LE SHSN EXPCTD TO DVLP IN NNW FLOW
LATER TDA.  BEST LFT DURG MIDDLE PORTION OF DAY BUT DRIER AIR
QUIKCLY WORKS IN FM W DURG AFT HRS.  SHOULD ONLY SEE A QUICK SHOT OF
LE WHICH SHOULD HELP LIMIT ACCUMS.  MM5 NOT VERY IMPRESSIVE AS WELL
AND ACCUMS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES TO THE E OF KCLE TDA WITH LTTL OR NO
ACCUM ELSEWHERE.  SFC RDG MOVES INTO WRN PA BY START OF 2ND PD AND
SHOULD SEE CLDS BREAK UP QUICKLY FM W TO E LATE THIS AFT.  THIS
TREND SHOULD CONT OVRNGT WITH JUST A CHC OF SHSN ERLY IN SNOWBELT.
SECONDARY CDFNT WL MOV S ACRS LERI ON TUE WITH AN INCR IN MOISTURE
NOTED ACRS EXTRM NERN OH/NW PA DURG AFT HRS.  WL WORD FOR CLDS AND A
CHC OF FLURRIES THIS AREA.

925 FLOW OF 35 KNOTS EXPCTED LATER THIS AM AND CONSIDERING STRENGTH
OF CAA WL WORD FOR WNDY ALL AREAS TDA.  TEMPS A LTTL TOUGH AS 12Z
READINGS WL LIKELY BE HIGH MOST AREAS.  FOR NOW JUST STEADY OR
SLOWLY FALLG READINGS.  GUID TEMPS SEEM A LTTL WARM ON TUE EVEN
CONSIDERING DECENT WAA.  FWC LOW TEMPS IN BALLPARK.

.CLE...
OH...GALE LERI
PA...GALE LERI

KUBINA

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: February 4, 6:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Ashtabula forecast zone
Property damage: $35,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.896, -80.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Geauga

When: February 4, 6:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Geauga forecast zone
Property damage: $30,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.500, -81.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Portage

When: February 4, 6:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Portage forecast zone
Property damage: $30,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.168, -81.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Trumbull

When: February 4, 6:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Trumbull forecast zone
Property damage: $35,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.317, -80.761 (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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Ohio, February 2002

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: 5283819, 5283820, 5283821, 5283822.