A strong area of low pressure was located near Lake Superior. An upper trough of low pressure was approaching the region during the late morning hours.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS CLE wrote it up.
A strong area of low pressure was located near Lake Superior. An upper trough of low pressure was approaching the region during the late morning hours. The upper trough of low pressure combined with warm and humid air at the surface to allow for showers and thunderstorms to develop by midday across northwestern Ohio. These showers and thunderstorms continued east through the afternoon hours. Many of the thunderstorms became severe across the area. By late in the afternoon, the severe thunderstorms progressed through northeast Ohio and into northwest Pennsylvania.
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 Jun 28, 12:24 PM EST, 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 124 PM EDT SAT JUN 28 2008 .SYNOPSIS... A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST WILL MOVE ACROSS THE NORTH GREAT LAKES TONIGHT...DRAGGING A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE AREA. THE LOW WILL DRIFT INTO SOUTHERN QUEBEC SUNDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... REGION WILL LIKELY BE UPGRADED TO A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE AFTERNOON. STRONG DYNAMICS IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA AND STORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED WEST OF THE AREA MOVING ENE. WILL NEED SUN TO BREAK THROUGH THE CLOUDS TO HELP THE INSTABILITY BUT MID LEVEL JET MOVING IN FROM THE WEST THIS AFTERNOON WILL INCREASE THE CHANCE FOR DAMAGING WINDS WITH STORMS. WILL CARRY LIKELY POPS ACROSS THE AREA AND ADD A CHANCE OF SEVERE. PREVIOUS....FEW LINGERING SHOWERS OVER NORTHERN OHIO WILL MOVE EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA BY MID MORNING. EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP OVER EASTERN HALF OF FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON IN THE MOIST UNSTABLE AIRMASS AS CAPES INCREASE TO 1000 TO 1500 J/KG. THINK THERE IS ENOUGH SUBSIDENCE OVER NW OH TO DROP POPS TO CHC. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY/... MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT MOVING THE COLD FRONT NOW OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST...ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT. TSRA ACTIVITY WILL BE ENHANCED TONIGHT AS 120KT 300 MB JET DIPS INTO THE BASE OF THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH THAT WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA. EXPECT SOME LINGERING PRECIP OVER NE OH/NW PA SUNDAY MORNING. MORE OF A UNSETTLED FALL TYPE PATTERN SETTING UP SUNDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT AS SURFACE LOW MOVES INTO SOUTHERN QUEBEC WITH A SERIES OF TROUGHS ROTATING AROUND THE LOW...ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES. IN ADDITION MUCH COLDER AIR WILL MOVE OVER THE LAKE. GFS DROPS 850 TEMPS TO 4C BY 12Z MONDAY...WHICH GIVE A 15 DEGREE DIFFERENTIAL FROM THE LAKE TEMP OF 20C. THIS WILL CREATE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS. LUCKILY THINGS SHOULD IMPROVE TUESDAY...AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD BUILD EAST ACROSS THE AREA BY TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY SHOULD BE A DRY DAY. SOUTHWEST FLOW SHOULD DEVELOP ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE HIGH BUT WILL NOT FORECAST TEMPS QUITE AS HIGH AS GUIDANCE AS AIRMASS SHOULD TAKE A DAY TO WARM UP. NEXT COLD FRONT SAGGING DOWN FROM THE NORTH TO NORTHWEST LATER IN THE WEEK. TROUGH ALOFT SEEMS TO HOLD ALONG THE EAST COAST SO FRONT SHOULD NOT ENCOUNTER MUCH RESISTANCE. NEW ECMWF AND GFS LOOK MORE IN AGREEMENT WITH FRONT DROPPING SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA ON THURSDAY. FRONT SAGS MORE FROM THE NORTH...ALMOST BACKDOOR... AND OFTEN THESE TYPES OF FRONTS DO NOT HAVE AS MUCH SHOWER/TSTORM ACTIVITY AS ADVERTISED. WILL KEEP FORECAST A CHANCE FOR NOW. PREVIOUS RUNS WERE HINTING AT THE FRONT BECOMING STATIONARY OVER THE OHIO VALLEY FRIDAY. KEPT A CHANCE OF SHOWERS/STORMS ON FRIDAY JUST IN CASE ALTHOUGH TYPICALLY WE WILL DRY OUT FROM THE NORTH. COOLER WITH TEMPS NEAR/A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL BY LATE WEEK. && .AVIATION /17Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... LINE OF SHRA AND STORMS CURRENTLY MOVING ACROSS NW OH. WILL TRY TO TIME THIS LINE ACROSS THE AREA. ALSO EXPECT ANOTHER LINE OF STORMS TO DEVELOP W AND SW OF THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. THIS LINE SHOULD MOVE THROUGH TOWARD EVENING AND COULD PACK QUITE A PUNCH. AREA ALREADY UNDER A WATCH AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS A CONCERN THIS AFTERNOON. WILL PUT SOME GUST TO 45 KNOTS IN TAFS. AS USUAL EXACT TIMING OF STORMS TOUGH AND WILL NEED ADJUST AS AFTERNOON PROGRESSES. WILL TRY TO END PRECIP FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE EVENING. COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY AND THERE WILL LIKELY BE MORE PRECIP WITH THAT. ALL SITES WILL GET A TEMPO FOR SHRA AT END OF TAF PERIOD. .OUTLOOK...TROUGH ALOFT WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST ON SUNDAY AND THINGS WILL DESTABILIZE AGAIN AND NEW SHOWERS/STORMS MAY DEVELOP SUNDAY AFTERNOON NW OHIO AND SPREAD EAST AND WILL OCCUR OFF AND ON THROUGH MONDAY. SOME MVFR CEILINGS AND VSBY POSSIBLE DURING THE HEAVIER SHOWERS/STORMS. DRYING OUT MIDWEEK WITH VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED AS HIGH PRESSURE SPREADS IN FROM THE PLAINS STATES. && .MARINE... SW FLOW TODAY AHEAD OF COLD FRONT. GRADIENT WILL BE STRONGER THAN RECENT DAYS BUT PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH WIND OR WAVES FOR SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ALTHOUGH LAKE WILL BE CHOPPIER THAN RECENT DAYS. THUNDERSTORMS COULD BRING HIGHER WINDS AND WAVES THOUGH AND TSTORMS COULD OCCUR AT ALMOST ANYTIME TODAY AND TONIGHT. COLD FRONT WILL SAG ACROSS THE LAKE TONIGHT. FLOW WILL VEER ONLY SLIGHTLY FOLLOWING THE FRONT AND WILL LIKELY REMAIN SW UNTIL SECONDARY COLD FRONT/TROUGH SWINGS THROUGH ON MONDAY AND WIND BECOMES WEST OR NORTHWEST. WITH COLDER AIR ALOFT ON MONDAY AND WIND SHIFT THE WIND AND WAVES WILL PICK UP AND SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE LOWER LAKES DURING THE MID WEEK AND FLOW WILL BACK TO SOUTHWEST. MODELS MORE IN AGREEMENT ON NEXT COLD FRONT SOMETIME THURSDAY. && .CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...NONE. PA...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...DJB NEAR TERM...DJB/TK SHORT TERM...DJB LONG TERM...KOSARIK AVIATION...KUBINA MARINE...KOSARIK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 1214 PM EDT SAT JUN 28 2008 LEZ061-142>149-162>169-OHZ003-006>014-017>023-027>033-036>038-047- 089-PAZ001>003-291615- LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM RIPLEY TO BUFFALO NY- MAUMEE BAY TO RENO BEACH OH-RENO BEACH TO THE ISLANDS OH- THE ISLANDS TO VERMILION OH-VERMILION TO AVON POINT OH- AVON POINT TO WILLOWICK OH-WILLOWICK TO GENEVA-ON-THE LAKE OH-GENEVA- ON-THE-LAKE TO CONNEAUT OH-CONNEAUT OH TO RIPLEY NY- LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM MAUMEE BAY TO RENO BEACH- LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM RENO BEACH TO THE ISLANDS- LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM THE ISLANDS TO VERMILION- LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM VERMILION TO AVON POINT- LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM AVON POINT TO WILLOWICK- LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM WILLOWICK TO GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE- LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE TO CONNEAUT- LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM CONNEAUT OH TO RIPLEY NY-LUCAS-WOOD- OTTAWA-SANDUSKY-ERIE OH-LORAIN-CUYAHOGA-LAKE-GEAUGA-ASHTABULA INLAND- HANCOCK-SENECA-HURON-MEDINA-SUMMIT-PORTAGE-TRUMBULL-WYANDOT-CRAWFORD- RICHLAND-ASHLAND-WAYNE-STARK-MAHONING-MARION-MORROW-HOLMES-KNOX- ASHTABULA LAKESHORE-NORTHERN ERIE-SOUTHERN ERIE-CRAWFORD PA- 1214 PM EDT SAT JUN 28 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR LAKE ERIE...NORTH CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHEAST OHIO...NORTHWEST OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS INDICATED THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY WITH DAMAGING WINDS THE LARGEST THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ALOFT DEEPENS AND COLDER AIR ALOFT MOVES ACROSS LAKE ERIE. STORMS WOULD BRING PULSE TYPE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALIZED LARGE HAIL AND A SLIGHT THREAT OF THUNDERSTORM DOWN BURST WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED.
The Cleveland radar (KCLE), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:41 UTC.
9 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Large limbs and power lines were reported down. Also, a few windows were broken at a hotel.
Several large limbs were reported down.
Several large limbs were reported down.
Large trees and power lines were reported down in Chesterville and Marengo.
Two large trees were reported down.
Nickel size hail was observed.
A tree, power pole, and utility lines were reported down.
Several large trees and large limbs were reported down.
Numerous trees were reported down throughout Holmes County.
A tree and several large limbs were reported down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, June 2008
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: 118524, 118525, 118531, 118535, 118534, 118526, 118527, 118532, 118528, 118530, 118533.