A low pressure system moved slowly through the upper Midwest on May 11th. Northern Ohio was located in the warm sector out ahead of an approaching cold front.
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 low pressure system moved slowly through the upper Midwest on May 11th. Northern Ohio was located in the warm sector out ahead of an approaching cold front. A tornado watch was issued for northwest and north central Ohio with only isolated severe storms occurring. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was later issued for northeast Ohio as the convection became more organized into a line with bowing segments. Numerous areas received strong thunderstorm winds with downed trees and power lines. The two main areas of wind damage occurred from eastern Cuyahoga County northeast into Lake County. The other main area of damage occurred across Mahoning and Trumbull Counties. Portions of Trumbull County and especially areas from Warren to Girard were likely the hardest hit with widespread trees and power lines down. Many trees reportedly fell on homes and many areas lost power.
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 11, 3:01 PM EST, 1 hour 44 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 401 PM EDT MON MAY 11 2015 .SYNOPSIS... STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT KICKING OFF THUNDERTORMS. THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A SECONDARY COLD FRONT TOMORROW...USHERNING IN MUCH COOLER CONDITIONS. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... TORNADO WATCH #164 OVER WESTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA IN EFFECT UNTIL 00Z TONIGHT. AREA BEGINNING TO DESTABILIZE AS CAPES APPROACH 1500 J/KG. REMNANTS OF STORMS OVER WESTERN OHIO WILL BE FOCUS OF ORGANIZED CONVECTION AS 50KT 850 MB JET MOVES NE INTO FORECAST AREA. BEST SHEAR REMAINS OVER INDIANA WITH 50KT OF SHEAR BELOW 1 KM. STORMS MOVING INTO LESS SHEARED ENVIRONMENT WITH DEW POINTS IN THE UPPER 50S. COLD FRONT NOW NEAR THE ILLINOIS/INDIANA BORDER...WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT. MODELS IN REASONABLE AGREEMENT MOVING THE FRONT EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA AROUND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TAKING ALL THE CONVECTION WITH IT. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... MUCH COOLER AND DRIER CONDITIONS ON TAP FOR NEXT FEW DAYS. DEW POINTS BEHIND THE FRONT IN THE LOWER 40S TO UPPER 30S. TUESDAY MORNING WILL START OUT DRY BUT COULD SEE SOME SHOWERS IN THE EAST AS SECONDARY COLD FRONT SWINGS ACROSS EASTERN LAKE ERIE TOMORROW AFTERNOON. ALL 3 MODELS PLUNGE THE 850MB TEMPS OVER LAKE ERIE TO NEAR ZERO C BY TUESDAY EVENING. COOLER CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MID WEEK AS A LARGE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE MOVES WEST OVER THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE WILL START OUT OVERHEAD ON THURSDAY BEFORE BUILDING TO THE EAST COAST ON FRIDAY. MEANWHILE A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL LIFT OUT OF THE PLAINS TOWARDS THE UPPER MIDWEST WITH ENERGY SPILLING AROUND THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN LAKES REGION. THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE TROUGH WILL ATTEMPT TO LIFT A WARM FRONT NORTH ACROSS THE AREA ON FRIDAY BUT MODELS DIFFER ON BOTH THE NORTHERN PROGRESS OF THE FRONT AND DEGREE OF AVAILABLE MOISTURE. A WARMING TREND WILL BE UNDERWAY FOR THE WEEKEND WITH TEMPERATURES RECOVERING INTO THE 70S TO NEAR 80 DEGREES. DEPENDING ON THE NORTHWARD PROGRESS OF THE WARM FRONT...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAY LINGER EITHER NEAR THE WARM FRONT OR IN THE WARM SECTOR. LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK OUT OF THE PLAINS TOWARDS THE UPPER LAKES REGION WITH THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT APPROACHING THE AREA LATE MONDAY. COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE AHEAD OF THE FRONT. && .AVIATION /18Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT ADVANCING FROM THE WEST. A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL OHIO INCLUDING TOL/FDY/MFD. THUNDERSTORMS WILL APPROACH THE TOL/FDY AREAS BY 20Z...CLE BY 22Z AND YNG TOWARDS 00Z. THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE STRONG AND BRIEF WIND GUSTS OF 40-50 KNOTS COULD ACCOMPANY THE STRONGEST STORMS...ESPECIALLY PRIOR TO SUNSET. UPDATES WILL BE MADE TO TAFS TO REFLECT BETTER TIMING AND STRENGTH OF WIND GUSTS AS STORMS APPROACH. SCATTERED SHOWERS COULD LINGER FOR A FEW HOURS BEHIND THE FRONT BEFORE MUCH DRIER AIR ARRIVES. WINDS WILL INCREASE CONSIDERABLY LATE TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY WITH GUSTS TO 35 KNOTS POSSIBLE. VFR CONDITIONS WILL RETURN BY TUESDAY MORNING. .OUTLOOK...MVFR CEILINGS POSSIBLE EXTREME NE OH/NW PA WEDNESDAY. NON VFR POSSIBLE AGAIN FRIDAY. && .MARINE... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS LAKE ERIE TONIGHT WITH COLD ADVECTION CONTINUING THROUGH THE DAY ON TUESDAY. WEST SOUTHWEST WINDS ON LAKE ERIE WILL INCREASE TO 20-25 KNOTS AND SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES WILL BE NEEDED ON LAKE ERIE THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE WEDNESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES...BUILDING TO NEW ENGLAND ON THURSDAY. && .CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...TORNADO WATCH 164. PA...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...DJB NEAR TERM...DJB SHORT TERM...DJB LONG TERM...KEC AVIATION...KEC MARINE...KEC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 922 AM EDT MON MAY 11 2015 LEZ061-142>149-162>169-OHZ003-006>014-017>023-027>033-036>038-047- 089-PAZ001>003-121330- 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- 922 AM EDT MON MAY 11 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR LAKE ERIE...NORTH CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHEAST OHIO...NORTHWEST OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND EARLY TONIGHT. THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS ALSO POSSIBLE. .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.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH 229 PM EDT MON MAY 11 2015 OHZ003-006-017-027-111930- HANCOCK-LUCAS-WOOD-WYANDOT- 229 PM EDT MON MAY 11 2015 ...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR HANCOCK...LUCAS...NORTHWESTERN WYANDOT AND WOOD COUNTIES UNTIL 330 PM EDT... AT 224 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 29 MILES WEST OF SWANTON TO 43 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DESHLER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THE STORMS SHOULD MOVE INTO THE AREA BY 330 PM THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS WILL AFFECT THE REGION WITH GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL ALONG WITH CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS. LOMBARDY
The Cleveland radar (KCLE), 134 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:42 UTC.
9 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Knox County Sheriff reported several trees down in and near the town of Martinsburg. Some trees were laying on power lines and power is out in Martinsburg.
A trained weather spotter reported severe thunderstorm winds brought down part of a tree in Killbuck with numerous trees and power lines down across the Millersburg area.
Trees reported down in Solon and Gates Mills.
Bainbridge Police reported a couple trees brought down by strong thunderstorm winds on Country Lane and Geauga Lake Rd. in Bainbridge Township. Power lines were also down across Kinsman Road in Burton.
Social media reported a large tree and power lines down at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Nelmar Drive in Painesville Township.
Sebring Police Department reported widespread trees and power lines down in town from severe thunderstorm winds.
The public reported via social media that strong thunderstorm winds snapped several large trees and that they were laying on power lines in the Milton Township area.
County dispatch reported several power lines brought down by thunderstorm winds in the town of Madison.
Trumbull County Dispatch reported severe thunderstorm winds caused widespread trees and power lines down across the County, especially in Warren and Girard. Numerous power outages in Warren and Girard with many trees on homes causing roof damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, May 2015
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: 579924, 580268, 579925, 580262, 580265, 580263, 580264, 580266, 580267.