Lake Erie, 2016

Waterspouts in Lake Erie, August 18, 2016

August 18, 2016 · NWS CLE · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Several waterspouts were reported off the Pennsylvania waters of Lake Erie following a cold front that moved across the lake. Three were sighted off of North East while one was sighted off of Presque Isle between 7 and 8 am.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS CLE wrote it up.

Several waterspouts were reported off the Pennsylvania waters of Lake Erie following a cold front that moved across the lake. Three were sighted off of North East while one was sighted off of Presque Isle between 7 and 8 am.

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 18, 5:07 AM EST, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 18, 5:07 AM EST, 1 hour 18 minutes before
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The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 118 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:25 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.

Waterspout, Conneaut Oh to Ripley Ny

When
August 18, 6:25 AM EST
Where
Conneaut Oh to Ripley Ny forecast zone, 6.72 mi W of Ripley
Reported by
Mariner
Coordinates
42.256, -79.830

Three waterspouts were reported east of North East Marina moving east.

Waterspout, Conneaut Oh to Ripley Ny

When
August 18, 7:02 AM EST
Where
Conneaut Oh to Ripley Ny forecast zone, 23.48 mi WSW of Ripley
Reported by
Mariner
Coordinates
42.192, -80.147

A boater reported seeing a waterspout near Presque Isle.

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 2016Every state in 2016This 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: 657415, 657416.