A cold front moved across northern Ohio on May 25th. A few thunderstorms developed ahead of this front and became severe.
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 cold front moved across northern Ohio on May 25th. A few thunderstorms developed ahead of this front and became severe.
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 25, 2:49 PM EST, 2 hours 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 349 PM EDT FRI MAY 25 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA BY THIS EVENING AND THEN STALL NEAR THE OHIO RIVER SATURDAY BEFORE MOVING BACK NORTH THROUGH THE REGION AS A WARM FRONT. A LOW WILL MOVE ACROSS THE UPPER LAKES MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AND DRAG A TRAILING COLD FRONT EAST THROUGH OHIO TUESDAY THEN HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS FOR WEDNESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... THE QUESTION IS WHERE WILL THE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP THROUGH THE EVENING. THE COLD FRONT IS BETWEEN CLE AND TOL BUT THE BEST CONVECTION BASED ON THE CUMULUS WILL HAVE THE CHANCE OVER NORTHEAST OHIO AND THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE AIRMASS IS VERY UNSTABLE OVER NORTHWEST OHIO. SURFACE TO MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE NOT THAT IMPRESSIVE. WILL NOT MENTION SEVERE IN THE GRIDS OR THE ZONES...JUST THE HWO. DRY FROM LATE EVENING ON. USED A MIX OF GUIDANCE...WENT TOWARD THE WARMER GUIDANCE AS THE DRIER AIR WILL BE SLOW TO PUSH TOO FAR EAST INTO THE REGION. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... THE FORECAST IS TOUGH. WENT SOMEWHAT CLOSE TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST. THE AIRMASS IS UNSTABLE SATURDAY AFTERNOON SO WILL HAVE A LOW CHANCE POP AND THEN A REMNANT OF AN MCS MAY AFFECT THE REGION LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. CHANCE POPS MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. TIMING IS TOUGH AT THIS TIME. THE GUIDANCE SEEMS A LITTLE LOW ON THE TEMPERATURES...ESPECIALLY THE HIGHS...WENT WARMER THAN GUIDANCE. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... THE MODELS BRING THE TROUGH BACK ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES THE SECOND HALF OF NEXT WEEK. THE DETAILS ARE NOT CLEAR YET... THE INITIAL COLD FRONT SHOULD MOVE EAST OF THE AREA ON TUESDAY. THEN A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES ARE PROGGED TO DROP THROUGH THE TROUGH. ALL OF THE MODELS EVENTUALLY SPIN UP A MORE SIGNIFICANT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM BUT THE GFS IS A DAY FASTER...LATE THURSDAY/THURSDAY NIGHT VERSUS LATE FRIDAY/FRIDAY NIGHT FOR THE ECMWF. I AM NOT SURE WE WILL ULTIMATELY SEE ANYWHERE AS DEEP A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM BUT GIVEN THE DEEPENING TROUGH ALOFT I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE A CHANE OF SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AND WE CAN TRY TO PIN THE DETAILS DOWN AS WE GET NEARER. I TREND THE HIGH TEMPERATURES DOWN THROUGH THE PERIOD FROM AROUND 80 ON TUESDAY...TO THE UPPER 60S BY FRIDAY. NIGHTTIME LOWS ARE REALLY TRICKY DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF WIND AND CLOUDS AND IF THERE ARE ANY SHOWERS. AS A FIRST GUESS...THE FORECAST LOWS DROP OFF INTO THE 50S. && .AVIATION /20Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... THE COLD FRONT IS POORLY DEFINED BUT WILL WORK ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. THE WIND WILL SHIFT FROM SSW TO WEST AND EVENTUALLY NORTH AND NORTHEAST TONIGHT. VFR CUMULUS WILL OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT ACROSS INLAND NE OH/NW PA AND THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS BUT THE STORMS MAY DEVELOP JUST EAST OF THE TAF SITES SO WILL NOT INCLUDE THUNDER IN THE TAF FORECASTS UNTIL WE SEE WHERE THE ACTIVITY DEVELOPS. VFR TONIGHT UNTIL A LITTLE EARLY MORNING NON-VFR FOG/HAZE DEVELOPS. .OUTLOOK...NON VFR POSSIBLE WITH EARLY MORNING FOR/HAZE THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. NON VFR POSSIBLE IN SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN ON TUESDAY. && .MARINE... SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 10 TO 15 KNOTS WILL VEER TO THE NORTHWEST BEHIND A COLD FRONT THIS EVENING...EVENTUALLY SHIFTING AROUND TO THE NORTHEAST BY SATURDAY MORNING. NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO NEAR 15 KNOTS ON WESTERN LAKE ERIE ON SATURDAY WITH FLOW DOWN THE LONG FETCH OF THE LAKE CAUSING WAVES TO BUILD TO 1 TO 3 FEET. IT IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION THAT A SLIGHTLY TIGHTER GRADIENT COULD RESULT IN A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WITH THE ONSHORE FLOW FOR A BRIEF PERIOD ON SATURDAY...BUT AT THIS TIME EXPECT TO REMAIN BELOW. WINDS WILL SHIFT AROUND TO THE SOUTH ON SUNDAY AND CONTINUE INTO MONDAY AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH ACROSS THE LAKE. A STRONGER COLD FRONT WILL PUSH EAST ACROSS THE LAKE ON TUESDAY. THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON LAKE ERIE THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. ANY THUNDERSTORM THAT DEVELOPS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO RAPIDLY INTENSIFY. && .CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...NONE. PA...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...KIELTYKA NEAR TERM...KIELTYKA SHORT TERM...KIELTYKA LONG TERM...KOSARIK AVIATION...KOSARIK MARINE...KEC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 115 PM EDT FRI MAY 25 2012 OHZ003-006>014-017>019-089-PAZ001>003-261715- LUCAS-WOOD-OTTAWA-SANDUSKY-ERIE OH-LORAIN-CUYAHOGA-LAKE-GEAUGA- ASHTABULA INLAND-HANCOCK-SENECA-HURON-ASHTABULA LAKESHORE- NORTHERN ERIE-SOUTHERN ERIE-CRAWFORD PA- 115 PM EDT FRI MAY 25 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHEAST OHIO...NORTHWEST OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. LEZ061-142>149-162>169-261715- 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- 115 PM EDT FRI MAY 25 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR LAKE ERIE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. OHZ020>023-027>033-036>038-047-261715- MEDINA-SUMMIT-PORTAGE-TRUMBULL-WYANDOT-CRAWFORD-RICHLAND-ASHLAND- WAYNE-STARK-MAHONING-MARION-MORROW-HOLMES-KNOX- 115 PM EDT FRI MAY 25 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHEAST OHIO AND NORTHWEST OHIO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A WEAK COLD FRONT IS MOVING ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE EVENING. A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD OF THE FRONT COULD BE SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. KIELTYKA
The Cleveland radar (KCLE), 14 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:39 UTC.
2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds downed several trees and large limbs in North Ridgeville knocking out power to as many as 2,000 customers. Limbs fell on a car on Harrison Street briefly trapping the driver. There were no injuries.
Nickel sized hail was observed.
Penny sized hail was observed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, May 2012
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: 382393, 382391, 382392.