Lake Erie, 2015

Waterspout in Lake Erie, August 4, 2015

August 4, 2015 · NWS CLE · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A waterspout was reported on Lake Erie between North East and Shade Beach Pennsylvania. The waterspout was approximately 1/2 mile offshore.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS CLE wrote it up.

A waterspout was reported on Lake Erie between North East and Shade Beach Pennsylvania. The waterspout was approximately 1/2 mile offshore.

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 Aug 4, 7:59 AM EST, 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 4, 7:59 AM EST, 1 minute before
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The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 125 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.

Waterspout, Conneaut Oh to Ripley Ny

When
August 4, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Conneaut Oh to Ripley Ny forecast zone, 11.09 mi WSW of Ripley
Reported by
Mariner
Coordinates
42.230, -79.910

Northeast Marina reported seeing a waterspout about a half mile offshore between North East and Shade Beach.

What these are

Waterspout
A tornado over water. One that moves ashore is filed as a tornado from the coastline on.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Lake Erie in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather history

Sources

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: 599414.