Ohio, 2002

Heavy Snow in Ohio, March 22, 2002

March 22, 2002 · NWS CLE · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Lake effect snow showers developed during the early morning hours behind a strong cold front. Westerly winds behind the front gusted to over 30 mph much of the day causing significant blowing and drifting and whiteout conditions.

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
$325,000
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.

Lake effect snow showers developed during the early morning hours behind a strong cold front. Westerly winds behind the front gusted to over 30 mph much of the day causing significant blowing and drifting and whiteout conditions. Snowfall measuring was hampered by the strong winds but accumulatiuons were generally 4 to 6 inches with drifts up to several feet in depth.

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 21, 10:35 PM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 21, 10:35 PM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
1035 PM EST THU MAR 21 2002

WL CONT WI THE LK SNW WRNG BUT...
UPDATED TO TONE DWN SNW AMTS OVRNGT. WK MULTIBANDS HAVE NOT FORMED
VRY WELL EVEN WITH THE NW FLOW IN PLACE. THE NW WNDS TO TURN WLY BY
MRNG. THE COLDEST AIR WL BE POOLG RIGHT OVR NE OH WHICH SHULD LEAD
TO W-E SNW BANDS ALG THE E LAKESHORE DURG FRI. HI INVERSION & BEST
UVV XPCT TO TARGET AREAS ALG I90 INTO ERI PA. ISOLD AMTS OF SNW
SHULD BE IN THE WRNG CATEG. RMNDR OF THE CWA TO THE W/SW SHULD SEE A
CLD/SUN MIX AS DRIER AIR WORKS IN THERE.
...MISCLE AVBL...

.CLE...
OH...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WRNG OVRNGT AND FRIDAY FOR OHZ012>014...OHZ089.
PA...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WRNG OVRNGT & FRIDAY FOR PAZ001>003.
GALE LERI

SEM

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 22, 12:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Ashtabula forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.896, -80.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Cuyahoga

When
March 22, 12:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Cuyahoga forecast zone
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.479, -81.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Geauga

When
March 22, 12:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Geauga forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.500, -81.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lake

When
March 22, 12:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, March 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: 5284866, 5284867, 5284868, 5284869.