An upper level disturbance moved across northern Ohio during the day on July 18th. Isolated severe thunderstorms fired up around lunchtime that day.
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.
An upper level disturbance moved across northern Ohio during the day on July 18th. Isolated severe thunderstorms fired up around lunchtime that day. As the afternoon progressed, the areal coverage and intensity of the thunderstorms increased significantly. A large complex of thunderstorms entered northwest Ohio during the mid afternoon hours and marched to the east-southeast. As these storms progressed across the state, they organized into a squall line causing substantial wind damage in the wake of its path.
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 Jul 18, 12:31 PM EST, 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 131 PM EDT MON JUL 18 2011 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDED FROM THE TENNESSEE VALLEY EAST TO THE MID ATLANTIC COAST EARLY TODAY. TO OUR NORTH A WEAK COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM THE DAKOTAS TO QUEBEC. THE HIGH WILL DRIFT SOUTH AND ALLOW THE COLD FRONT TO DROP INTO THE AREA TUESDAY. THE FRONT WILL RETREAT BACK TO THE NORTH WEDNESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BACK TO THE REGION. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... LATEST HRRR RUNS HAVE COME AROUND TO BE MORE REALISTIC WITH CURRENT CONDITIONS. NOW BOTH HRRR AND RUC GENERALLY SHOW LAKE SHADOWING EFFECTS WITH LITTLE QPF OVER MUCH OF THE LAKE AND NEARSHORE AREAS EAST OF THE ISLANDS. EVEN FURTHER ADJUSTED THE AFTERNOON FORECAST TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS. HIGHER EXPECTED DEWPOINTS NOW ALLOW HEAT INDEX TO CREEP AROUND 100 FOR SEVERAL HOURS THIS AFTERNOON BUT AT THIS LATE TIME SEE NO REASON TO HOIST AN ADVISORY FOR THE SITUATION. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE WEATHER PICTURE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE NEAR TERM MAKING FOR QUITE HOT AFTERNOONS THROUGH MID WEEK AND BEYOND. BEST CHANCE OF RAIN WILL COME THIS EVENING AS AN EXTENSION FOR TODAY...AND THEN TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY AS A WEAK COLD FRONT DROPS INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTH. THE FRONT HEADS BACK NORTH AS A WARM FRONT TUESDAY NIGHT/WEDNESDAY. OTHERWISE WOULD EXPECT A SLIGHT CHANCE OF AN AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM WILL BE THE LIMIT. TEMPS LOOK A DEGREE OR TWO LOWER TUESDAY THAN TODAY BUT WEDNESDAY HIGHS SHOULD RETURN BACK TO NEAR 90 OR SO MOST AREAS. THURSDAY WARMER STILL AND POSSIBLY THE FIRST SOLID HEAT ADVISORY DAY WITH TEMPS IN THE MID 90S. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... HOT AND HUMID WILL CONTINUE WELL INTO THE EXTENDED FORECAST. GIVEN WITH THE WARM AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS EXPECTED...A STRAY SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM CANNOT BE RULED OUT ANY OF THE PERIODS FROM FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. HOWEVER...IT APPEARS THAT BEST CHANCES FOR PRECIP COULD COME LATE SATURDAY AS A WEAK TROUGH PASSES ACROSS THE AREA. ECMWF A LITTLE FASTER WITH THE TROUGH THAN THE GFS. && .AVIATION /18Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... LOT'S OF UNCERTAINITY TODAY AS FAR AS TIMING AND COVERAGE OF STORMS GOES. THINK MOST AREAS WILL SEE THUNDER THE NEXT 12 HOURS. BEST CHANCES APPEAR TO BE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ALREADY SEEING SOME DEVELOPMENT AND STORMS SE OF KTOL COULD AFFECT KMFD IN THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. WILL GIVE ALL AREAS A FEW HOURS OF THUNDER LATER THIS AFTERNOON. SOME SHOWERS LIKELY THROUGH AROUND MIDNIGHT IF NEW GUIDANCE IS TO BE BELIEVED. EXPECT WIDEPSREAD MVFR VSBY AFTER SUNSET WITH PATCHY IFR LIKELY LATE TONIGHT. SOME HINT FROM THE NEW GUIDANCE THAT MVFR TO IFR CIGS COULD DEVELOP IN THE MORNING. SW TO W FLOW WILL BECOME LIGHT AFTER DARK. OUTLOOK...VFR EXCEPT THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE OVERNIGHT AND REDUCED VSBY DURING EARLY MORNING FOG/HAZE. && .MARINE... QUIET WEATHER WILL CONTINUE ON THE LAKE. SOUTH WINDS WILL TURN TO THE SOUTHWEST LATER TODAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE A THREAT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ON TUESDAY VARIABLE FLOW IS EXPECTED AS A WEAK LOW TRACKS ACROSS THE REGION...ONSHORE FLOW WILL LIKELY DEVELOP IN THE NEARSHORE WATERS DURING THE AFTERNOON. && .CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...NONE. PA...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...TK NEAR TERM...ADAMS/TK SHORT TERM...TK LONG TERM...DJB AVIATION...KUBINA MARINE...DJB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 519 AM EDT MON JUL 18 2011 OHZ003-006>014-017>023-027>033-036>038-047-089-PAZ001>003-190930- 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- 519 AM EDT MON JUL 18 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHEAST OHIO...NORTHWEST OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS DETERMINED THAT THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT THUNDERSTORMS COULD TURN SEVERE TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REACH INTO THE LOW TO MID 90S ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. THIS COMBINED WITH HIGH HUMIDITY LEVELS COULD PUSH THE HEAT INDEX ABOVE 100 DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS FOR A LARGE PORTION OF NORTHERN OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA. AS THE HEAT INDEX CLIMBS ABOVE 100...THE DANGER OF HEAT RELATED DISORDERS INCREASE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED. LEZ061-142>149-162>169-190930- 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- 519 AM EDT MON JUL 18 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR LAKE ERIE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS DETERMINED THAT THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT THUNDERSTORMS COULD TURN SEVERE TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
1257 PM EDT MON JUL 18 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1208 PM TSTM WND GST MEADVILLE 41.65N 80.15W
07/18/2011 M60 MPH CRAWFORD PA ASOS
&&
LEEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
209 PM EDT MON JUL 18 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1220 PM TSTM WND DMG MEADVILLE 41.65N 80.15W
07/18/2011 CRAWFORD PA LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN.
&&
LEEThe Cleveland radar (KCLE), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:10 UTC.
11 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds downed numerous large tree limbs and branches.
Thunderstorms produced a swath of pea sized hail.
Thunderstorm winds downed a few power poles in the area.
Thunderstorm winds caused widespread wind damage in the area. Numerous trees and limbs were downed. Several power lines were downed during this event as well.
Thunderstorm winds downed several trees and power lines.
Thunderstorm winds downed a few large tree limbs. A 73mph wind gust was measured during this event.
Thunderstorms produced quarter size hail.
Thunderstorm winds downed several large tree branches.
Thunderstorm winds uprooted a large tree.
Thunderstorm winds downed a few large tree limbs and downed two power lines.
Thunderstorm winds downed a few large trees and several large tree limbs in the area.
Thunderstorm winds snapped the upper half of a 60ft-tall tree. Large sections of a black willow tree were snapped off as a result of the thunderstorm winds. Several other trees in the area were downed during this event.
A supercell thunderstorm tracked across Wood County, producing substantial damage. Downburst winds caused significant damage at an area farm. The tin roof covering the feedlot and livestock area was peeled off. A few outbuildings on the property were destroyed. No livestock were injured or killed during this event. Portions of the roof, covering one barn on the property, were ripped off as well. Another barn on the property was reportedly destroyed. Several large trees were uprooted on the property. The residence sustained damage as a result of the uprooted trees. The property owner estimated the damage to be around $20,000. Elsewhere, numerous reports of uprooted trees and overturned recreational vehicles in the area were recorded. There were no reports of injuries during this downburst wind event.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, July 2011
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: 324791, 324792, 324794, 324795, 324797, 324815, 324810, 327411, 327413, 324798, 327415, 327624, 327461.