A warm frontal boundary extended from a center of low pressure over the northern Great Plains across southern Indiana and south to the Carolinas. A cluster of thunderstorms developed over the Upper Peninsula of Michigan during the night on May 9th.
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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 warm frontal boundary extended from a center of low pressure over the northern Great Plains across southern Indiana and south to the Carolinas. A cluster of thunderstorms developed over the Upper Peninsula of Michigan during the night on May 9th. The cluster of thunderstorms progressed southeast toward northern Ohio, and by daybreak, severe thunderstorms hit the area.
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 May 10, 5:54 AM EST, 1 hour 36 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 654 AM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE AREA WILL BEGIN TO SLOWLY DRIFT OFF TO THE EAST TODAY. THIS WILL ALLOW A WARM FRONT OVER INDIANA TO MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST OHIO WHERE IT WILL STALL FOR A COUPLE DAYS. THIS FRONT WILL EVENTUALLY LIFT NORTHEAST ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE HEADS EAST OUT OF THE PLAINS. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OVER THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. REGIONAL RADAR CONTINUES TO SHOW SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THIS WAY FROM WI AND LOWER MI. THIS ACTIVITY HAS BEEN DIMINISHING AS IT MOVES INTO THE RIDGE AND VERY DRY LOW LEVELS. EXPECT ADDITIONAL WAVES OF PRECIPITATION TO FOLLOW THE LOW LEVEL THICKNESS CONTOURS FROM WI INTO THE AREA TODAY. THIS PRECIP WILL HAVE A HARD TIME OVERCOMING THE DRY EASTERLY FLOW EXPECTED. STILL...WILL NEED TO HANG ON TO CHANCE WORDING FOR AT LEAST THE WEST HALF OF THE AREA TODAY. 850 MB TEMPS EXPECTED TO WARM 2 TO 4 DEGREES TODAY. SO EVEN WITH A FEW MORE CLOUDS THEN YESTERDAY... HIGHS SHOULD BE A COUPLE TO A FEW DEGREES WARMER THAN MONDAY. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... PRECIP CHANCES WILL CONTINUE TO BE A CHALLENGE DURING THE PERIOD. A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE INTO SW OH LATER TODAY AND THEN MOVE LITTLE THROUGH THURSDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN CONTINUING SMALL CHANCES FOR PRECIP IN THE WEST. 00Z MODELS ACTUALLY SHOW THE 700MB RIDGE MOVING BACK WEST ON WEDNESDAY WHICH MEANS IT MAY BE THE DRIEST DAY OF THE WEEK. THE RIDGE WILL BE BACK ON THE MOVE TO THE EAST BY THURSDAY WITH INCREASING PRECIP CHANCES POSSIBLE AS THE FRONT FINALLY STARTS TO MOVE OUR WAY. THE BEST CHANCES FOR PRECIP WILL PROBABLY BE FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. BY THAT TIME A SURFACE LOW MOVING EAST OF THE PLAINS WILL BEGIN TO INFLUENCE THE WEATHER OVER THE AREA. THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS WILL HAVE LARGE MOISTURE CONTRASTS ACROSS THE AREA WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE 40S IN NW PA WITH LOWER 60S POSSIBLE TOWARD KMNN AND KFDY. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WILL BE SOME OF THE WARMEST DAYS OF THE YEAR SO FAR WITH 80S POSSIBLE IN MANY AREAS. FRIDAY WILL BE COOLER BECAUSE OF MORE CLOUDS AND PRECIP. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW AN UPPER LOW STALLING ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. WILL HAVE CHANCE POPS AND PLENTY OF CLOUDS THROUGH THE LONG TERM PERIOD. TEMPS NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL SATURDAY AND SUNDAY DROPPING TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION /12Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT ACROSS AND JUST WEST OF THE AREA WITH MID AND UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY SPILLING EAST OVER THE RIDGE AXIS INTO SRN LWR MICHIGAN AND INTO NRN OHIO. CONVECTION TO OUR WEST AND NORTHWEST WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO DROP ESE INTO THE AREA THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. WILL CARRY VCTS OR A TEMPO GROUP FOR SHWRS AND TSTMS TOL FDY MFD AND CLE. BEST INSTABILITY THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE SOUTHWEST OF THE AREA HOWEVER WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO HAVE SCATTERED STORMS MOVE INTO THE AREA WITH THE LIKELY AREA WEST. LAKE BREEZE SHOULD WOULD ITS WAY INTO KCLE AND KERI EARLY/MID AFTERNOON. GUIDANCE SUGGESTS MVFR AND POSSIBLE IFR IN FOG WEST TONIGHT IN VICINITY OF THE WARM FRONT. WILL GO AHEAD AND BRING THIS INTO FDY TOL AND MFD BUT NOT ANY FURTHER EAST. .OUTLOOK...NON VFR POSSIBLE WEST HALF OF THE REGION WED AND THEN WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE AREA THU THROUGH SAT. && .MARINE... PREDOMINANT EAST FLOW ACROSS LAKE ERIE TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY...TURNING SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST SATURDAY AS SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE MOVES TO THE MIDWEST. NO HEADLINES EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...NONE. PA...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...KUBINA NEAR TERM...KUBINA SHORT TERM...KUBINA LONG TERM...TK AVIATION...TK MARINE...TK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 654 AM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011 LEZ142>146-162>166-OHZ003-006>011-017>021-027>031-036>038-047-111100- 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- 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-LUCAS-WOOD-OTTAWA- SANDUSKY-ERIE OH-LORAIN-CUYAHOGA-HANCOCK-SENECA-HURON-MEDINA-SUMMIT- WYANDOT-CRAWFORD-RICHLAND-ASHLAND-WAYNE-MARION-MORROW-HOLMES-KNOX- 654 AM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR LAKE ERIE...NORTH CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHEAST OHIO AND NORTHWEST OHIO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS WESTERN LAKE ERIE AND NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL OHIO TODAY. A FEW OF THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS COULD BRIEFLY BECOME SEVERE. HAIL IS THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED. LEZ061-147>149-167>169-OHZ012>014-022-023-032-033-089-PAZ001>003- 111100- LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM RIPLEY TO BUFFALO NY-WILLOWICK TO GENEVA- ON-THE LAKE OH-GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE TO CONNEAUT OH- CONNEAUT OH TO RIPLEY NY- 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-LAKE-GEAUGA- ASHTABULA INLAND-PORTAGE-TRUMBULL-STARK-MAHONING-ASHTABULA LAKESHORE- NORTHERN ERIE-SOUTHERN ERIE-CRAWFORD PA- 654 AM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR LAKE ERIE...NORTHEAST OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED.
The Cleveland radar (KCLE), 154 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:30 UTC.
6 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorms produced pea to penny sized hail during this event.
Thunderstorms produced a large swath of hail ranging in size from penny to hen egg during this event. The largest of the hail, ping pong ball size to hen egg size, occurred in the Vanlue area. Some vehicles were damaged by the hail.
Quarter inch hail was reported with this thunderstorm.
Quarter size hail was reported with this thunderstorm.
Hail ranging in size from penny to quarter size occurred during this thunderstorm.
Nickel sized hail was reported with this thunderstorm.
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, May 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: 298840, 298843, 307504, 307506, 307507, 307510.