An area of low pressure moved through the central great lakes on May 21st with a cold front moving into northern Ohio during the evening. Several severe thunderstorms developed in the unstable air ahead of the cold front.
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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.
An area of low pressure moved through the central great lakes on May 21st with a cold front moving into northern Ohio during the evening. Several severe thunderstorms developed in the unstable air ahead of the cold front. During the late afternoon thunderstorms were mainly focused across central Ohio and quarter size hail was reported across Morrow County. Later that evening thunderstorms filled in over Lake Erie and moved inland off the lake. These thunderstorms produced quarter size hail in many locations from Port Clinton in Ottawa County to Madison in Lake County. The thunderstorms in northeast Ohio also caused flash flooding in Lake and Ashtabula Counties. Madison in Lake County was one of the hardest hit areas where a tributary of the Arcola Creek came out of its banks and flooded Main Street and portions of the downtown area with up to 4 feet of water.
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 21, 2:32 PM EST, 1 hour 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 332 PM EDT WED MAY 21 2014 .SYNOPSIS... LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE SLOWLY THROUGH THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES AND FORCE A COLD FRONT SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES BY SATURDAY EVENING AND TO THE CAROLINA COAST BY SUNDAY. A RIDGE WILL EXTEND BACK NORTH ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA THROUGH THE REST OF THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. A TROUGH WILL SWING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT FOLLOWED BY HIGH PRESSURE INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THURSDAY MORNING/... A COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT. TEMPERATURES IN THE 70S THIS AFTERNOON AND DEW POINTS IN THE LOWER 60S ARE STILL SOUPY ENOUGH FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. WE NARROWLY MISSED THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. PRECIPITATION THREAT WILL BE ON A GRADUAL DECLINE THROUGH THE NIGHT TIME HOURS FROM WEST TO EAST. AS COLD AIR ADVECTION BEGINS TO TAKE PLACE BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...EXPECTING LOWS TO DROP INTO THE MID 50S IN NORTHWEST OHIO AND ALONG THE LAKE SHORE. INLAND...THE COLD AIR WILL NOT YET ARRIVE AND WILL KEEP LOWS AROUND 60 ACROSS THAT AREA. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... UPPER LEVEL PATTERN TRENDING FROM A NEARLY ZONAL FLOW ACROSS MUCH OF THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE COUNTRY. HOWEVER...A TROUGH DIGGING INTO THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF CANADA WILL HELP TO AMPLIFY AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES. THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL DIVE INTO THE EASTERN THIRD OF THE UNITED STATES AND THIS WILL KEEP CONDITIONS ON THE COOL SIDE THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY SHIFT SOUTH ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. ONCE THE HIGH FINALLY MOVES SLIGHTLY EAST AND THEN SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA TO THE CAROLINAS...THE FORECAST AREA SHOULD START TO SEE SOME WARM AIR ADVECTION JUST IN TIME FOR THE REST OF THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. THE OTHER GOOD NEWS IS THAT THIS HIGH WILL WILL EXTEND A RIDGE BACK NORTH INTO THE FORECAST AREA BY SATURDAY AND THIS WILL KEEP THE FORECAST AREA FOR THE MOST PART DRY. THERE IS A SHOT OF MOISTURE EXPECTED TO ROTATE ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA ON FRIDAY...POSSIBLY FRIDAY NIGHT THAT COULD BRING A SPRINKLE OR TWO TO THE AREA. OTHERWISE...FAIR WEATHER IS EXPECTED. 850 MB TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO DIP TO AROUND PLUS 4 C BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND GRADUALLY CLIMB TO PLUS 8 C BY SATURDAY NIGHT. THE WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL BE SLOW TO OCCUR BUT EXPECTING HIGHS TO CLIMB INTO THE 60S EAST TO LOWER 70S WEST ON THURSDAY...MID 70S WEST TO UPPER 60S EAST FRIDAY...AND MID TO UPPER 70S ON SATURDAY. OVERNIGHT LOWS GENERALLY IN THE 50S. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... A LARGE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE ALMOST OVERHEAD BY SUNDAY WHICH GIVES RISE TO AN OPTIMISTIC MEMORIAL DAY FORECAST. LAKE BREEZES ARE LIKELY SUNDAY OTHERWISE SUNNY WEATHER AND NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED. A FEW DEGREES WARMER ON MEMORIAL DAY ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE HIGH. HIGH CLOUDS WILL LIKELY SPREAD IN FROM THE WEST. SOME OF THE MODELS ARE INDICATING A CHANCE OF WARM FRONTAL ACTIVITY...PERHAPS GETTING TO THE FORECAST AREA ON MONDAY... BUT THE MODELS ARE OFTEN 12 HOURS TOO FAST WITH WARM ADVECTION SHOWERS SO WILL KEEP IT OUT OF THE MEMORIAL DAY FORECAST AT THIS TIME. HIGHS MONDAY UP AROUND 80 EXCEPT ALONG THE LAKE ERIE LAKESHORE EAST OF CLEVELAND WHERE THE WIND WILL COME ONSHORE. THE GFS HAS BEEN FASTER WITH THE NEXT FRONT AND THE FORECAST BY MID WEEK NEXT WEEK REALLY BECOMES PROBLEMATIC DEPENDING ON THE TIMING OF THE NEXT FRONT. THE GFS STRONGLY BACK DOORS THE FRONT TO OUR SOUTH ON WEDNESDAY BUT LOOKS ANOMALOUS BASED ON A CLOSED LOW ALOFT DROPPING THROUGH THE TROUGH. THE ECWMF BUILDS THE SURFACE HIGH ACROSS EASTERN CANADA SO THERE WILL LIKELY BE SOME COOLING WITH A NORTHEAST FLOW...ESPECIALLY NEAR LAKE ERIE. FORECAST HIGHS WILL BE A FEW DEGREES COOLER WEDNESDAY. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... MVFR CUMULUS WILL LIFT TO A VFR DECK 040BKN-050BKN THIS AFTERNOON. NEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS CENTRAL OHIO AND MAY BE CLOSE TO KFDY KMFD AND KCAK AND PERHAPS KCLE AND KYNG DURING THE MID AFTERNOON THRU EARLY EVENING. THE ACTIVITY SHOULD SHIFT SOUTH BY LATE EVENING. VFR CONDITIONS WILL THEN PREVAIL THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT AND THURSDAY. PATCHY FOG IS LIKELY AT INLAND LOCATIONS EARLY THURSDAY MORNING AND A CUMULUS/STRATOCUMULUS DECK WILL DEVELOP BY LATE MORNING THURSDAY ESPECIALLY ACROSS NE OH/NW PA. .OUTLOOK...VFR. && .MARINE... A COLD FRONT WILL CROSS LAKE ERIE TONIGHT. A FEW SHOWERS OR PERHAPS A THUNDERSTORM MAY ACCOMPANY THE FRONT. THE FLOW WILL VEER MORE WEST TO NORTHWEST AND EVENTUALLY NORTH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AS THE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST. THE GRADIENT SHOULD STAY LIGHT ENOUGH THAT A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL NOT BE NEEDED BUT IT WILL BE CLOSE ON THURSDAY AS WAVES WILL LIKELY REACH 2 TO 4 FEET. THE LAKE SHOULD QUIET DOWN BY THE WEEKEND AS THE SURFACE HIGH MOVES OVERHEAD. LAKE BREEZES ARE LIKELY BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. WATER TEMPERATURES ARE MOSTLY IN THE 50S TO AROUND 60...SOME 3-5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL... NOT SWIMMING WEATHER...AND STILL DANGEROUSLY COLD TO SPEND ANY EXTENDED TIME IN THE WATER. && .CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...NONE. PA...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...LOMBARDY NEAR TERM...LOMBARDY SHORT TERM...LOMBARDY LONG TERM...KOSARIK AVIATION...KOSARIK MARINE...KOSARIK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 327 PM EDT WED MAY 21 2014 OHZ003-006>014-017>023-027>033-036>038-047-089-PAZ001>003-221930- 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- 327 PM EDT WED MAY 21 2014 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...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. LEZ061-142>149-162>169-221930- 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- 327 PM EDT WED MAY 21 2014 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...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. LOMBARDY
The Cleveland radar (KCLE), 130 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:30 UTC.
15 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter and county dispatch reported quarter size hail.
Channel 3 relayed a report of penny size hail in Bellville.
Amateur radio operator reported penny size hail in Port Clinton.
Ping pong ball sized hail was reported.
A trained weather spotter estimated ping pong ball size hail.
Penny sized hail was reported.
Amateur Radio operator reported penny size hail in Lorain.
Amateur Radio reported penny to quarter size hail.
A three foot diameter tree was uprooted and another tree fell on a house in Norwalk.
Penny to nickel sized hail was observed.
Broadcast media and county dispatch relayed reports of quarter size hail in Madison.
Penny to nickel sized hail was observed.
A trained weather spotter reported quarter size hail.
A trained weather spotter reported a tree down at a residence.
On the evening of May 21st heavy rain measured at 2.5 inches between 930 pm and 11 pm caused widespread flash flooding in the town of Madison. A tributary to the Arcola Creek which runs through downtown Madison came out of it's banks and flooded Main Street and Safford Street with water flowing higher than the fire hydrants at an estimated four feet deep. The hardest hit areas were in the east of town where numerous basements flooded. Numerous roads in town were closed due to backed up storm drainage. The flood waters receded around 2 am.
A tributary to the Ashtabula River came out of its banks on the evening of May 21st after an estimated 2 inches of rain fell within an hour and a half. The small unnamed creek came out of it's banks near the University Hospital Medical Center near Britton Drive. A trailer park was inundated with several feet of water from this same creek, yet the raised levels of the trailers prevented flooding in the homes. A construction site near the creek sustained significant damages to supplies from the fast moving water. Main Street was closed just west of town due to the same creek's floodwaters.
The media relayed a report of ping pong ball size hail near Kinsman.
A trained weather spotter reported quarter size hail in Mansfield.
The public reported nickel to quarter size hail near Mansfield.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, May 2014
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: 521747, 521758, 521762, 522953, 521812, 522951, 521770, 521774, 521822, 522950, 521813, 522955, 521824, 521825, 510274, 510275, 521830, 521826, 521828.