Ohio, 2013Lake-Effect Snow in Ohio, October 23 to 25, 2013
October 23 to 25, 2013 · NWS CLE · 2 events in 2 counties and zones
Unseasonably cold air moving across warm Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the evening of October 23rd. The snow briefly tapered off during the middle portion of the 24th and then picked up again during the afternoon.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $750,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
Unseasonably cold air moving across warm Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the evening of October 23rd. The snow briefly tapered off during the middle portion of the 24th and then picked up again during the afternoon. The snow finally ended for good during the early morning hours of 25th. The trees across the region still had leaves and the snow caused considerable damage. Hundreds of trees and limbs were downed resulting in many power outages. Accumulations of 4 to 8 inches were reported from eastern Cuyahoga County into Geauga County. During the peak of the event, thunder and lightning were reported and snow rates approached two inches per hour. Several airplanes on final approach to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport flew through the snow bands and were struck by lightning. No injuries were reported and all of the planes were able to safely land. The greatest accumulations were reported in Russell and Chesterland Townships of Geauga County. For much of the area, this was the first time during the Fall that temperatures had fallen to freezing. Nearly 50,000 electric customers lost power during this event. In Cuyahoga County, most of the outages were in Lyndhurst, Cleveland Heights and Mayfield Heights. In Geauga County the outages were most concentrated in Russell and Chester Townships but outages were also reported in Newburn, Auburn and Munson Townships. It took till October 26th for the power to be fully restored. Many accidents resulted from this early season snow and travel was a problem in some areas.
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 Oct 23, 6:52 PM EST, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Oct 23, 6:52 PM EST, 2 hours 8 minutes before
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</html>Lake-Effect Snow, Cuyahoga
- When
- October 23, 9:00 PM EST to October 24, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Cuyahoga forecast zone
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 41.479, -81.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Unseasonably cold air moving across warm Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the evening of October 23rd. The snow briefly tapered off during the middle portion of the 24th and then picked up again during the afternoon. The snow finally ended for good during the early morning hours of 25th. The trees across the region still had leaves and the snow caused considerable damage. Hundreds of trees and limbs were downed resulting in many power outages. Accumulations of 4 to 8 inches were reported from eastern Cuyahoga County. During the peak of the event, thunder and lightning were reported and snow rates approached two inches per hour. Several airplanes on final approach to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport flew through the snow bands and were struck by lightning. No injuries were reported and all of the planes were able to safely land. For much of the area, this was the first time during the Fall that temperatures had fallen to freezing. Nearly 50,000 electric customers lost power during this event. In Cuyahoga County, most of the outages were in Lyndhurst, Cleveland Heights and Mayfield Heights. It took till October 26th for the power to be fully restored. Many accidents resulted from this early season snow and travel was a problem in some areas.
Lake-Effect Snow, Geauga
- When
- October 23, 9:00 PM EST to October 25, 1:00 AM EST
- Where
- Geauga forecast zone
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 41.500, -81.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Unseasonably cold air moving across warm Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the evening of October 23rd. The snow briefly tapered off during the middle portion of the 24th and then picked up again during the afternoon. The snow finally ended for good during the early morning hours of 25th. The trees across the region still had leaves and the snow caused considerable damage. Hundreds of trees and limbs were downed resulting in many power outages. Accumulations of 4 to 8 inches were reported in Geauga County. During the peak of the event, thunder and lightning were reported and snow rates approached two inches per hour. The greatest accumulations were reported in Russell and Chesterland Townships of Geauga County. For much of the area, this was the first time during the Fall that temperatures had fallen to freezing. Nearly 50,000 electric customers lost power during this event. In Geauga County the outages were most concentrated in Russell and Chester Townships but outages were also reported in Newburn, Auburn and Munson Townships. It took till October 26th for the power to be fully restored. Many accidents resulted from this early season snow and travel was a problem in some areas.
- Lake-Effect Snow
- Heavy snow in bands downwind of a large lake as cold air crosses warmer water.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 481495, 481496.