An area of low pressure moved northeast across Ohio during the afternoon of April 27th. An area of showers with embedded thunderstorms developed along a cold front trailing the low.
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.
An area of low pressure moved northeast across Ohio during the afternoon of April 27th. An area of showers with embedded thunderstorms developed along a cold front trailing the low. A few of the thunderstorms produced damaging wind gusts. Most of the damage occurred in Trumbull and Mahoning Counties during the early evening.
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 Apr 27, 3:27 PM EST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Cleveland OH 427 PM EDT Fri Apr 27 2018 .SYNOPSIS... A weak cold front will move east across the area this evening followed by a stronger cold front that will push south overnight. High pressure will build south across the western Great Lakes on Saturday, then continue towards the southeastern states through Monday. Ridging aloft will bring warming temperatures through the first half of next week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... Showers with a few thunderstorms have developed along a north to south oriented frontal boundary moving east across the area. Although both moisture and instability are limited, lift is being enhanced by an upper level wave and jet streak rounding the base of the trough. A few gusts to 45 mph have already been noted with the showers given the very dry sub cloud layer. Band of showers will continue to move east across the area through the evening. Skies will clear behind the first round of showers from west to east this evening before the next low pressure system approaching Chicago arrives overnight. Showers will return ahead of and on the northern flank of this system as a second upper level wave deepens overhead. This system will pull a stronger cold front draped across northern lower Michigan south across the area overnight. Lows tonight will drop to near the 40 degree mark as cold advection and northerly flow develops after midnight. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... Upper level trough will dominate the entire eastern U.S. Saturday and then slowly push east as an upper level ridge builds slowly east. The low pressure system aloft will push off the east coast by Monday night allowing the ridge to build in from the west. In the mean time, a cold front will move east of the area during the early morning hours Saturday allowing colder air to infiltrate the local area. The fairly strong cold air advection will cause 850 temperatures to drop down to below zero through Sunday with a recovery expected to occur Monday as the upper level ridge builds into the region. The cyclonic flow around the exiting surface low pressure system will force moisture to stream in from the north as a wrap around flow in combination with some lake enhancement across the forecast area. As the synoptic moisture moves east and out of the area, the threat for precipitation will gradually wane from west to east and become purely lake effect by Sunday afternoon. Since temperatures at 850 MB are expected to drop below freezing, expecting to see a mix of rain and snow Saturday night changing over to all snow late Saturday night. As the moisture pulls out to the east Sunday with the low pressure system, the threat for lake effect will also end by afternoon. High pressure will begin to build south into the central Mississippi Valley region Sunday afternoon. The high will bring continued cold air advection to the forecast area Sunday into Sunday night. As the upper level ridge builds east, surface high pressure will move east across the Ohio Valley and bring a return south to southwest flow to the forecast area by Monday. Temperatures will see a fairly rapid recovery Monday through Tuesday and looking at highs reaching into the 70s by Tuesday. However, on Monday and Tuesday, due to the differences in temperature from the lake water and the inland air, a substantial lake breeze could set-up in the afternoons Monday and especially Tuesday. A nice warm-up will take place in the morning until the lake breeze develops that will cause temperatures to drop back in the afternoon. As the high builds in Monday through Tuesday, fair weather and sunshine will prevail. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... High pressure over the region will begin to break down on Wednesday. A weak cold front will move across the forecast area on Wednesday bringing some scattered showers or thunderstorms to the area. The models indicate the front will become quasi- stationary near the region Thursday into Friday. The GFS and ECMWF differ of the location of the stalled front. The Ecmwf is further north and this difference may impact the forecast precipitation coverage for late week. A series of weak waves will move across the front Thursday. These waves will likely produce numerous showers and a few thunderstorms on Thursday and Thursday Night. The front will eventually push south of the forecast area on Friday or Friday night. Since the ECMWF is slower with the southern push of the front. I will keep the mention of showers all day on Friday. && .AVIATION /18Z Friday THROUGH Wednesday/... A cold front approaching the area is noted by a band of clouds and scattered light showers moving into NW Ohio. This area of showers will continue to move east this afternoon but showers will be spotty and conditions are expected to remain VFR. Winds will shift from the south to west and possibly NW behind this initial weak front. Another area of low pressure starting off over Wisconsin this afternoon will slide southeast and merge with the first system, pulling a stronger cold front south across the area. This one will bring better chances of showers and MVFR ceilings. Will bring these into Toledo as early as 04Z and YNG/ERI by 09-10Z. An abrupt drop in ceilings can be expected as the front is pulled south behind the low pressure system. Have observed some IFR upstream and can not rule this out, later tonight into Saturday morning across NE Ohio. Have brought this into CAK/YNG for now and may need to be expanded. This system will quickly shift east with ceilings lifting to VFR in the west by Saturday afternoon. OUTLOOK...Non-VFR lingering in NE Ohio into Saturday afternoon and evening and NW PA through Saturday night. && .MARINE... A cold front will sweep east across the lake this evening and will usher in colder air and an increase in the winds by Saturday morning. Winds will increase to 15 to 25 knots and will likely need a small craft advisory starting Saturday morning and continuing into late Sunday as winds begin to diminish. Otherwise, winds go fairly light on Monday and shift to a southwest direction and increase to around 10 to 15 knots. A warm air advection flow will develop Monday through Wednesday and winds will likely set-up into a lake breeze situation for Tuesday into Wednesday with onshore flow. Tried to depict these winds in the forecast for these two periods. Question is how much of the southwest flow mixes down to the surface. Threshold tends to be around 25 knots on the lake to mix down but expecting 10 to 15 knots through the latter periods. && .CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...None. PA...None. MARINE...None. && SYNOPSIS...KEC NEAR TERM...KEC SHORT TERM...Lombardy LONG TERM...Garnet AVIATION...KEC MARINE...Lombardy
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Cleveland OH 533 AM EDT Fri Apr 27 2018 LEZ061-142>149-162>169-OHZ003-006>014-017>023-027>033-036>038-047- 089-PAZ001>003-280945- Lake Erie open waters from Ripley to Buffalo NY- Lake Erie nearshore waters from Maumee Bay to Reno Beach OH- Lake Erie nearshore waters from Reno Beach to The Islands OH- Lake Erie nearshore waters from The Islands to Vermilion OH- Lake Erie nearshore waters from Vermilion to Avon Point OH- Lake Erie nearshore waters from Avon Point to Willowick OH- Lake Erie nearshore waters from Willowick to Geneva-on-the Lake OH- Lake Erie nearshore waters from Geneva-on-the-Lake to Conneaut OH- Lake Erie nearshore waters from Conneaut OH to Ripley NY- Lake Erie open waters from Maumee Bay to Reno Beach OH- Lake Erie open waters from Reno Beach to The Islands OH- Lake Erie open waters from The Islands to Vermilion OH- Lake Erie open waters from Vermilion to Avon Point OH- Lake Erie open waters from Avon Point to Willowick OH- Lake Erie open waters from Willowick to Geneva-on-the-Lake OH- Lake Erie open waters from Geneva-on-the-Lake to Conneaut OH- Lake Erie open waters from Conneaut OH to Ripley NY-Lucas-Wood- Ottawa-Sandusky-Erie-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- 533 AM EDT Fri Apr 27 2018 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...Saturday through Thursday. 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
424 PM EDT FRI APR 27 2018
OHZ009>011-019>021-029>031-038-047-272045-
Holmes-Summit-Huron-Erie-Richland-Medina-Lorain-Cuyahoga-Ashland-
Wayne-Knox-
424 PM EDT FRI APR 27 2018
...A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT EASTERN
HURON...EASTERN RICHLAND...ERIE... SOUTH CENTRAL
CUYAHOGA...MEDINA...ASHLAND...WEST CENTRAL SUMMIT...
WAYNE...SOUTHERN LORAIN...HOLMES AND KNOX COUNTIES...
At 425 PM EDT, a line of showers with a few embedded thunderstorms
was across north central Ohio. Several reports of 35 to 45 mph winds
have been reported. The line is moving east at 35 mph.
Gusty winds over 40 mph are possible as this line moves across
the area late this afternoon.
LAT...LON 4024 8248 4027 8249 4133 8251 4133 8165
4045 8167 4045 8218 4024 8220
TIME...MOT...LOC 2020Z 248DEG 32KT 4110 8251
GarnetSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Cleveland OH
445 PM EDT FRI APR 27 2018
OHZ010>013-020>022-030>032-038-272200-
Holmes-Summit-Geauga-Portage-Lake-Stark-Medina-Lorain-Cuyahoga-
Ashland-Wayne-
445 PM EDT FRI APR 27 2018
...A LINE OF SHOWERS PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS...
A line of showers and a few embedded thunderstorms is moving
across Northern Ohio. Several reports of wind gusts greater
than 40 mph have been reported. This line is moving east around
35 mph and may continue to produce wind gusts greater than 40 mph
for the next few hours.
LAT...LON 4045 8218 4152 8208 4154 8201 4153 8172
4175 8136 4179 8118 4065 8133 4066 8146
4063 8167 4044 8167
TIME...MOT...LOC 2043Z 248DEG 49KT 4108 8222
GarnetSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Cleveland OH
544 PM EDT FRI APR 27 2018
OHZ012>014-022-023-032-033-089-272300-
Geauga-Portage-Lake-Stark-Mahoning-Trumbull-Ashtabula
Lakeshore-Ashtabula Inland-
544 PM EDT FRI APR 27 2018
...A LINE OF SHOWERS WILL AFFECT TRUMBULL...PORTAGE...MAHONING...
GEAUGA...LAKE...EASTERN STARK AND ASHTABULA COUNTIES...
At 540 PM EDT, radar indicated a line of showers with a few
thunderstorms moving across Northeast Ohio. This line is moving
east at 35 mph. This line has a history of producing wind gusts 40
to 50 mph. Wind gusts in excess of 40 mph are possible with this
line for the next few hours.
LAT...LON 4090 8053 4090 8082 4093 8083 4093 8089
4090 8090 4090 8108 4073 8109 4072 8123
4065 8124 4065 8140 4142 8139 4144 8137
4145 8139 4173 8140 4199 8052
TIME...MOT...LOC 2140Z 271DEG 31KT 4169 8145 4079 8145
GarnetThe Cleveland radar (KCLE), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:09 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm wind gusts downed trees from Mantua east to Garrettsville.
Thunderstorm wind gusts downed a tree on top of a house on the north end of Boardman along Devonshire Drive.
Thunderstorm winds downed a tree in Struthers on Tangent Street. The tree landed on a parked vehicle causing some damage.
Thunderstorm winds downed a tree on southbound State Route 11 in Liberty Township.
Thunderstorm winds gusts downed many trees and large limbs from north of Cortland east into the Kinsman area.
Thunderstorm winds downed a tree along State Route 88 just west of State Route 7.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, April 2018
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: 750941, 750939, 750940, 750937, 750938, 750936.