A cold front moved across northern Ohio during the afternoon of August 29th. A line of showers and thunderstorms developed along the 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.
A cold front moved across northern Ohio during the afternoon of August 29th. A line of showers and thunderstorms developed along the front. A couple reports of severe weather were received.
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 29, 11:53 AM EST, 1 hour 52 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Cleveland OH 1253 PM EDT Wed Aug 29 2018 .SYNOPSIS... A cold front across the Central Great lakes will push SE across the forecast area this afternoon and evening. After that, Canadian high pressure will move into the Central Lakes tomorrow and dominate the weather through Friday. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/... Upper level trough over the upper lakes will deepen throughout the day and tonight as it moves east. At the surface, weak low pressure is positioned northeast over Quebec will drive a cold front through the area early Thursday. Primary concern for this afternoon will be the expected development of convection starting early this afternoon. Cloud cover has remained limited across the area, leading to slightly warmer temperatures in the upper 80s. This has helped destabilize the airmass making it more favorable for strong to severe storms. Main driver for potentially severe storms is the instability and drier mid level air, making conditions favorable for downburst. This severe potential will be localized. The shear, though fairly unidirectional, is strong enough to support organized/long lived severe storms. The LCL heights as indicated by the inverted V soundings, which should keep tornado risk low. Storm motions and PWATs (1.5") will keep flood risk low as well given fast movers. NW OH will be cloudy and worked over early limiting any severe risk west of a line from the Islands to Findlay. Starting around 18Z we anticipate some development along a boundary currently over Toledo. This will expand as it moves east through late afternoon. By 00Z the best shear will lift into NY and coverage/severity should wane over the area. The main cold front will lag behind expected to move through later this evening/overnight, after which all rain chances will dissipate with drier air moving in. Thursday will be over 10 deg cooler behind the cold front. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... High pressure will be in control of the region Thursday night through Friday afternoon. We will then have increasing southwesterly flow on Saturday as the next weakening cold front moves into the central Great Lakes. The increase in low level moisture will contribute to the scattered thunderstorm chances. These thunderstorms should occur around maximum heating Saturday afternoon and linger into the evening. Saturday overnight hours will likely be dry. Friday will see temperatures in the middle to upper 70s at most locations. A few locations could touch 80 degrees. Warmer and more humid on Saturday with highs back into the lower to middle 80s. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... The weakening cold front that was over the central Great Lakes on Saturday will stall somewhere near the south shore of Lake Erie on Sunday. This boundary combined with a warm and humid airmass will keep scattered thunderstorm chances in the forecast. The models then become very uncertain how big a factor an upper level ridge will become for Monday into Tuesday. The airmass across the region will remain warm and humid so it is difficult to remove the afternoon and evening thunderstorm chances. However if the ridge is strong enough it will limit the coverage of the thunderstorms. Something for us to monitor over the next few days. Temperatures through the long term period should be above seasonal averages with highs at least into the middle 80s. && .AVIATION /18Z Wednesday THROUGH Sunday/... A line of convection is expected to move through the terminals this afternoon in advance of an approaching cold front. The thunderstorms will have the potential for wind gusts over 35kt mainly for MFD/CAK/YNG where instablity is highest. Convection should push east of the area after 00Z. Deep low level moisture behind the cold front moving through after midnight will result in MVFR CIGS early Thursday. CIGS will lift to VFR as drier air moves in mid/late morning starting in the north. Winds will shift with a boundary this afternoon and then with the front tonight, becoming north by early Thursday. Dry conditions will move in for Thursday with VFR conditions. OUTLOOK...Non-VFR possible tonight in stratus and br. && .MARINE... Southwesterly winds ahead of a cold front will be the strongest through late morning then taper off with the frontal boundary/outflow boundary passage. Waves should build to 2 to 4 feet this morning from willowick to Ripley. There is a slight concern that a brief small craft advisory may be needed from Conneaut to Ripley but the winds will need a bit more westerly component to make this occur. For now will hold off and monitor closely. As winds become northwest to north in the wake of the cold front waves should build to greater than 4 feet from Vermilion to Conneaut. Waves will likely be the highest around 06Z tonight then slowly subside by Thursday afternoon. High pressure will then take control of the region Thursday afternoon Through Friday. The next storm system will be moving into the central Great Lakes on Saturday with southwesterly winds once again increasing. && .CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...None. PA...None. MARINE...None. && SYNOPSIS...DJB/Jamison NEAR TERM...DJB/Jamison SHORT TERM...Mullen LONG TERM...Mullen AVIATION...Jamison MARINE...Mullen
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Cleveland OH 912 AM EDT Wed Aug 29 2018 LEZ061-142>149-162>169-OHZ003-006>009-013-014-017>023-027>033- 036>038-047-PAZ002-003-301315- 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-Geauga-Ashtabula Inland-Hancock-Seneca-Huron- Medina-Summit-Portage-Trumbull-Wyandot-Crawford-Richland-Ashland- Wayne-Stark-Mahoning-Marion-Morrow-Holmes-Knox-Southern Erie- 912 AM EDT Wed Aug 29 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Lake Erie, north central Ohio, northeast Ohio, northwest Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Thunderstorms possible today. A few may be strong to severe with damaging downburst winds. .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. OHZ012-089-PAZ001-301315- Lake-Ashtabula Lakeshore-Northern Erie- 912 AM EDT Wed Aug 29 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Thunderstorms possible today. A few may be strong to severe with damaging downburst winds. A moderate swimming risk for the beaches from Willowick to Ripley NY today. Waves of 2 to 4 feet and dangerous currents are possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. A high swimming risk for the beaches from Vermilion to Ripley NY Thursday. Waves of 3 to 5 feet and dangerous currents are possible mainly during the early morning hours through midday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. OHZ010-011-301315- Lorain-Cuyahoga- 912 AM EDT Wed Aug 29 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north central Ohio and northeast Ohio. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Thunderstorms possible today. A few may be strong to severe with damaging downburst winds. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. A high swimming risk for the beaches from Vermilion to Ripley NY Thursday. Waves of 3 to 5 feet and dangerous currents are possible mainly during the early morning hours through midday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The Cleveland radar (KCLE), 28 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:42 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
An automated sensor at the Lorain County Airport measured a 58 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
Thunderstorm winds downed some trees and power lines along Boston Mills Road.
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, August 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: 777910, 777911.