Winter Storm, Ashtabula
- When
- January 14, 8:00 AM EST to January 15, 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Ashtabula forecast zone
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.896, -80.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Ohio, January 14 to 15, 2004
An area of low pressure over lower Michigan moved southeast across Ohio and into southwestern Pennsylvania on January 14th and 15th. A band of moderate to heavy snow developed to the north of the low as it moved through the region.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $650,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
An area of low pressure over lower Michigan moved southeast across Ohio and into southwestern Pennsylvania on January 14th and 15th. A band of moderate to heavy snow developed to the north of the low as it moved through the region. This band of snow was enhanced by Lake Erie as it moved over the northeastern corner of Ohio. Total accumulations in this area ranged from 6 to 8 inches with the heaviest snow falling during the afternoon and evening hours of the 14th. Travel was hampered by this event and dozens of accidents were reported.
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 Jan 14, 5:09 AM EST, 2 hours 51 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 14, 5:09 AM EST, 2 hours 51 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 445 AM WED JAN 14 2004 LGT SNW DVLPG OFFF THE LK THIS MRNG. UP TO AN INCH PSBL. NXT WX MAKER WL BE THE SASKATCHWAN CLIPPER THAT IS PROGGED TO TRACK QUICKLY ACRS NRN OH LATE AFTN EXITG TO THE E BY MIDN, AND TO THE VA CST BY THURS MRNG. MAIN FOCIUS OF HVY SNW IS JUST TO THE N OF THE TRACK WHICH WL EXTEND FROM SE MI ACRS LERI AND NE OH. GOOD LIFT ALG WI MID LVL WAV TO BRING IN A SYNOPTIC AMT IN THE 2 TO 6 INCH RANGE FRM MIDDAY NW THRU TNGT IN THE NE. THE HIER AMTS WL BE IN A NARROW PATH FRM CLE-YNG-ASH PER HPC GUID. MODELS FAIRLY AGREE WI THIS TRACK. ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE LOW A WND SHIFT INOT THE NW WL BRING ON A SECOND ROUND WI ADDITONAL LK ENHANCED AMTS OVRNGT & INTO THURS IN THE NE SNWBELT. AS THE UPR LOW MOVS OUT INTO ERN CAN, A CD NLY FLOW TO INCLUDE LHUR AND LERI WL BRING IN LK EFFECT SNW RIGHT INTO FRI OVR PTNS OF THE NE. MODELS DO SHW A TURNING OF THE WINDS OFF OF THE LKS AND WHICH SHULD END THE SNW. ARCTIC POOL OF AIR TO MOV ACRS THE ERN LKS AND THE CWA. AS SKIES CLR & THE WNDS DMNSH XPCG TEMPS TO DROP INTO THE SINGLE NUMBERS FRI MRNG. .CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...WWA THIS AFTN THRU TNGT PA...WWA FOR THIS AFTN/TNGT.
Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 14, 6:02 AM EST, 1 hour 58 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 602 AM EST WED JAN 14 2004 OHZ003-006>014-017>023-027>033-036>038-047-089-PAZ001>003-141302- ASHLAND OH-ASHTABULA INLAND OH-ASHTABULA LAKESHORE OH-CRAWFORD PA- CRAWFORD OH-CUYAHOGA OH-ERIE OH-GEAUGA OH-HANCOCK OH-HOLMES OH- HURON OH-KNOX OH-LAKE OH-LORAIN OH-LUCAS OH-MAHONING OH-MARION OH- MEDINA OH-MORROW OH-NORTHERN ERIE PA-OTTAWA OH-PORTAGE OH- RICHLAND OH-SANDUSKY OH-SENECA OH-SOUTHERN ERIE PA-STARK OH- SUMMIT OH-TRUMBULL OH-WAYNE OH-WOOD OH-WYANDOT OH- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...AKRON...ASHLAND...ASHTABULA... BOWLING GREEN...BUCYRUS...CANTON...CHARDON...CLEVELAND...ELYRIA... ERIE...FINDLAY...FOSTORIA...FREMONT...JEFFERSON...LORAIN... MANSFIELD...MARION...MEADVILLE...MEDINA...MILLERSBURG... MOUNT GILEAD...MOUNT VERNON...NORWALK...PAINESVILLE...PORT CLINTON... RAVENNA...SANDUSKY...TIFFIN...TOLEDO...UPPER SANDUSKY...WARREN... WOOSTER AND YOUNGSTOWN 602 AM EST WED JAN 14 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN OHIO AND A PORTION OF NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY NO CONVECTIVE HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER A FAST MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL TRACK ACROSS NORTHERN OHIO LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING WIDEPSREAD SNOW AMOUNTS IN THE 2 TO 6 INCH RANGE THROUGH TONIGHT. TRAVEL WILL BE IMPACTED AS A RESULT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Geauga
- When
- January 14, 8:00 AM EST to January 15, 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Geauga forecast zone
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.500, -81.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Lake
- When
- January 14, 8:00 AM EST to January 15, 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lake forecast zone
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.714, -81.245 (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
- High Wind in Hawaii, January 14, 2004
- Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, January 14 to 15, 2004
- Flood in New York, January 14 to 16, 2004
- Cold in Maine, January 14 to 16, 2004
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 14 to 15, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 14, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 14 to 15, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, January 14, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 14, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 14 to 15, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 14 to 15, 2004
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 14 to 15, 2004
More
Every storm in Ohio in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, January 2004
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: 5386371, 5386372, 5386373.