Showers and thunderstorms developed along a cold front moving east across the area on the night of August 12-13. A cluster of thunderstorms moved in off Lake Erie around 1230 AM with strong thunderstorm winds causing damage to trees.
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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.
Showers and thunderstorms developed along a cold front moving east across the area on the night of August 12-13. A cluster of thunderstorms moved in off Lake Erie around 1230 AM with strong thunderstorm winds causing damage to trees. Heavy rainfall accompanied the thunderstorms. A tree fell on a tent in Mill Creek Township and the tent started to wash away. People had to be rescued but no injuries occurred. Power outages were also reported across 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 Aug 12, 9:03 PM EST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 1003 PM EDT MON AUG 12 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT WITH A SECONDARY PUSH OF COOLER AND DRIER AIR ARRIVING ON TUESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD EAST OVER THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY AND LINGER THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM TUESDAY MORNING/... CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS REASONABLE WITH ONLY SLIGHT CHANGES NEEDED. LIKELY POPS OVERNIGHT STILL LOOK REASONABLE GIVEN THE ONGOING CONVECTION OVER NORTH CENTRAL OHIO AND WESTERN LAKE ERIE. IN ADDITION THERE IS A LINE OF CONVECTION ALONG THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT FROM CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN TO NORTHERN INDIANA. WITH SUNSET THE BOUNDARY LAYER IS BEGINNING TO STABILIZE WITH CIN INCREASING AND CAPE DECREASING. DEEP SHEAR HAS DECREASED OVER THE LAST FEW HOURS TO AROUND 30 KNOTS WHICH SHOULD LIMIT STORM PERSISTENCE. STILL THERE ARE A FEW NASTY STORMS OVER WESTERN LAKE ERIE. OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES MAY BE SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN EARLIER INDICATED SO WILL RAISE MIN TEMPERATURES SLIGHTLY. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... SURFACE COLD FRONT AND ASSOCIATED PRECIPITATION WILL BE SOUTH OF THE AREA BY TUESDAY MORNING WITH CONSIDERABLE DRYING OF THE COLUMN. SHORTWAVE SEEN ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SOUTH OF HUDSON BAY WILL FORCE THE UPPER TROUGH SOUTH ACROSS LAKE ERIE...WITH A SECONDARY PUSH OF COOL AIR SLIDING SOUTH OUT OF CANADA. MODELS HAVE TRENDED COOLER WITH THE APPROACHING AIRMASS WHICH SEEMS VALID GIVEN THE 12Z RAOBS ACROSS ONTARIO SHOWING 850MB TEMPS OF 1-3C THIS MORNING. EXPECT AN INCREASE IN DIURNAL CU WITH ENHANCEMENT FROM LAKE ERIE DURING THE AFTERNOON ON TUESDAY. BY WEDNESDAY MORNING 850MB TEMPERATURES WILL FALL TO 6C OVER LAKE ERIE WHICH SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR LAKE EFFECT CLOUDS AND POSSIBLY A FEW SHOWERS. MORE SUN IN NW OHIO WILL HELP TEMPERATURES STILL REACH THE LOW 70S WHILE NE OHIO/NW PA WILL LIKELY BE CONFINED TO THE MID AND UPPER 60S. HIGH PRESSURE WILL EXPAND EAST OVER THE REGION FROM LATE WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THIS WILL MAKE FOR A COOL NIGHT ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH LIGHT WINDS AND SUBSIDENCE RESULTING IN TEMPERATURES DIPPING INTO THE UPPER 40S IN THE COOLER LOCATIONS WHILE THE LAKESHORE AREAS REMAIN IN THE MID 50S. LOWERED TEMPERATURES SEVERAL DEGREES FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL RECOVER A FEW DEGREES WITH MORE INSOLATION THURSDAY ALTHOUGH REMAINING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A LIGHT NORTHERLY FLOW. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION THROUGH FRIDAY...THEN BEGIN TO SLOWLY DRIFT TO THE NORTHEAST. WITH THE UPPER LVL THICKNESSES RISING LATE WEEK...WILL SEE TEMPERATURES SLOWLY WARMING EACH AFTERNOON THROUGH THE WEEKEND BUT THEY WILL BE AT OR BELOW NORMAL. BY THE END OF THE FCST PERIOD THE TROUGH TRANSITIONS INTO A MORE ZONAL FLOW...THE FIRST BREAK DOWN OF THE TROUGH THAT WE HAVE SEEN IN WEEKS. AS THE SURFACE HIGH DRIFTS TO THE EAST THERE WILL BE WEAK RETURN FLOW IN THE LOW LEVELS INCREASING DEW POINTS INTO THE 60S BY SUNDAY/MONDAY. THE CHANCE FOR SHOWERS WILL RETURN AS A RESULT. && .AVIATION /02Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WITH MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CLOSER TO THE COLD FRONT OVER NORTHERN INDIANA. ONCE THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH MVFR CEILINGS WITH SOME IFR CEILINGS WILL DEVELOP AND THEN CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE TO VFR CEILINGS EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON. CONFIDENCE IS HIGH...THE ONLY QUESTION IS HOW LONG THE IFR CONDITIONS WILL LAST...AT THIS TIMES IT SEEMS LIKE IT WILL BE SEVERAL HOURS. .OUTLOOK...MAINLY VFR. && .MARINE... TONIGHT THE WINDS WILL BE PREDOMINATELY SW THEN SWITCH TO THE NW OVERNIGHT AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES SOUTH. THE INITIAL SURGE MAY INCREASE WINDS IN THE EASTERN BASIN TO 15 KT TUESDAY. CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING THAT WAVES WILL BUILD TO SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TUESDAY NIGHT AS THE COLD AIR ADVECTION INCREASES WINDS TO AROUND 20KT WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THE TIMING AND DURATION OF THE STRONGEST MIXING AND CAA WILL BE REEVALUATED IN THE FORTHCOMING SHIFTS BEFORE HOISTING A HEADLINE. AFTER TUESDAY NIGHT THE WINDS WILL DISSIPATE AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE LAKE. && .CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...NONE. PA...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...KEC NEAR TERM...LAPLANTE SHORT TERM...KEC LONG TERM...JAMISON AVIATION...KIELTYKA MARINE...JAMISON
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 400 AM EDT MON AUG 12 2013 LEZ061-142>149-162>169-OHZ003-006>014-017>023-027>033-036>038-047- 089-PAZ001>003-130900- 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- 400 AM EDT MON AUG 12 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR LAKE ERIE...NORTH CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHEAST OHIO...NORTHWEST OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
838 PM EDT MON AUG 12 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0820 PM TSTM WND GST 2 NE SANDUSKY 41.48N 82.69W
08/12/2013 E40.00 MPH LEZ144 OH TRAINED SPOTTER
CEDAR POINT
&&
THOMPSONPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH
933 PM EDT MON AUG 12 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0620 PM TSTM WND DMG 2 S FINDLAY 41.01N 83.64W
08/12/2013 HANCOCK OH LAW ENFORCEMENT
AN 8 INCH DIAMETER LIMB KNOCKED DOWN AND A 12 TO 16 INCH
DIAMETER TREE KNOCKED OVER.
&&
KIELTYKAThe Cleveland radar (KCLE), 142 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:52 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement reported several trees down between Lake City and Fairview.
Law enforcement reported a tree fell on a tent in a campground in Mill Creek Township. No injuries were reported. The Department of Highways also reported large limbs and powerlines brought down by thunderstorm winds in Erie.
Dispatch reported thunderstorm winds brought down several trees near Saegertown.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, August 2013
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: 475302, 475304, 475309.