Winter Storm in Ohio, March 26, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Ohio, March 26, 2002
Start: 2002-03-26T01:00
End: 2002-03-26T22:00
Location: Ohio

March 26, 2002 · NWS CLE · 24 events in 24 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 24 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: $3.5 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 24

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.

Low pressure moved northeast across Ohio causing freezing rain to develop in advance of a warm front stretching east from the low. The freezing rain first began during the early morning hours south of a line from Marion to Akron. By daybreak the freezing rain had spread north to near Lake Erie. Ice accumulations of a quarter inch were reported most areas with ice accumulations of one half inch in portions of Holmes and Stark Counties. Cold air filtering into northern Ohio behind the low caused snow to develop during the afternoon and evening hours. Nearly 5 inches of snow fell in Lucas County with as much as 3 inches of snow as far east as Cleveland (Cuyahoga County). Little if any snow accumulated southeast of a Marion to Youngstown line. Very treachorous conditions existed on untreated roadways, especially during the morning hours.

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 25, 6:35 PM EST, 6 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 25, 6:35 PM EST, 6 hours 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
635 PM EST MON MAR 25 2002

CANCELLED WINTER STORM WARNING FOR EASTERN AREAS. WINTER WX ADV
CONTS FOR ENTIRE CWA FOR TNGT AND WRN AREAS THRU TMRW.

.CLE...
OH...WINTER STORM CANCELLED FOR NE. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY
NW THRU TUE AND NE TNGT.
PA...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THIS EVE CANCELLED. WINTER WX ADVSRY
TNGT.

WCR

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

24 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Ashland

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Ashland forecast zone
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.846, -82.271 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Crawford

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.851, -82.920 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Erie

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.432, -82.700 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Geauga

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Geauga forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.500, -81.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hancock

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Hancock forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.002, -83.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Holmes

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Holmes forecast zone
Property damage: $300,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.561, -81.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Huron

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Huron forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.146, -82.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Knox

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Knox forecast zone
Property damage: $300,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.399, -82.421 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lake

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.714, -81.245 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lorain

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Lorain forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.453, -82.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lucas

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Lucas forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.684, -83.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marion

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Marion forecast zone
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.587, -83.161 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Medina

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Medina forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.118, -81.900 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Morrow

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Morrow forecast zone
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.524, -82.794 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ottawa

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Ottawa forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.497, -82.941 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Portage

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Portage forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.168, -81.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Richland

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Richland forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.775, -82.536 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sandusky

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Sandusky forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.357, -83.144 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Seneca

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Seneca forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.124, -83.128 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Stark

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Stark forecast zone
Property damage: $300,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.814, -81.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Summit

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Summit forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.126, -81.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wayne

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.829, -81.888 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wood

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Wood forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.362, -83.623 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wyandot

When: March 26, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where: Wyandot forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.842, -83.304 (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

Every storm in Ohio in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5284965, 5284966, 5284967, 5284968, 5284969, 5284970, 5284971, 5284972, 5284973, 5284974, 5284975, 5284976, 5284977, 5284978, 5284979, 5284980, 5284981, 5284982, 5285103, 5285104, 5285105, 5285106, 5285107, 5285108.