Ohio, 2018

Winter Weather in Ohio, January 12 to 13, 2018

January 12 to 13, 2018 · NWS ILN · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

Strong low pressure at the surface tracked towards West Virginia. At the same time, a strong upper level low pressure system strengthened as it crossed east through Kentucky.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
20

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 ILN wrote it up.

Strong low pressure at the surface tracked towards West Virginia. At the same time, a strong upper level low pressure system strengthened as it crossed east through Kentucky. The combination of the two and an onslaught of colder air brought significant snow accumulations to areas east of Wilmington, Ohio, with light accumulations found along and west of the I-75 corridor.

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 Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 12, 12:32 PM EST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 12, 12:32 PM EST, 1 hour 28 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 12, 4:25 AM EST, 9 hours 35 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 12, 9:27 AM EST, 4 hours 33 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Mercer

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Mercer forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
40.540, -84.629 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The county garage west of Celina measured 2 inches of snow.

Winter Weather, Auglaize

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Auglaize forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
40.561, -84.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A public report from Waynesfield measured 2 inches of snow. The county garage south of Wapakoneta measured 1.5 inches of snow.

Winter Weather, Darke

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Darke forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
40.133, -84.619 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The county garage in Greenville measured 1.5 inches of snow. The CoCoRaHS observer in Versailles measured an inch.

Winter Weather, Shelby

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Shelby forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
40.332, -84.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The CoCoRaHS observer in Russia measured an inch of snow, while another observer in Fort Loramie measures 0.7 inches.

Winter Weather, Hardin

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Hardin forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
40.662, -83.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The county garage in Kenton measured 2 inches of snow.

Winter Weather, Logan

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Logan forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
40.388, -83.766 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A public report from Bellefontaine measured 3 inches of snow. The cooperative observer north of Huntsville measured 2.5 inches.

Winter Weather, Champaign

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Champaign forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
40.138, -83.769 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The county garage in Urbana measured 3 inches of snow. A cooperative observer northeast of St. Paris measured 2.2 inches.

Winter Weather, Union

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Union forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
40.299, -83.372 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The county garage in Marysville measured 3 inches of snow, while a CoCoRaHS observer located 4 miles southeast of West Mansfield measured 2.5 inches.

Winter Weather, Delaware

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Delaware forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
40.278, -83.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The CoCoRaHS observer 3 miles northwest of Dublin measured 5.5 inches of snow. Another observer 5 miles west of Hartford measured 3.9 inches, while the observer near Galena measured 3.8 inches. The ODOT county garage in Delaware measured 3 inches of snow.

Winter Weather, Franklin

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
39.970, -83.009 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The CoCoRaHS observer south of Powell measured 5.8 inches of snow. A spotter near the OSU airport measured 5.3 inches, as did a public report from near New Albany and another public report from Dublin. A broadcast media report from Marble Cliff measured 5 inches of snow, as did the CoCoRaHS observer near New Rome.

Winter Weather, Madison

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
39.894, -83.400 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The county garage northeast of Lafayette measured 5 inches of snow.

Winter Weather, Clark

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Clark forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.917, -83.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The observer in Springfield measured 4.5 inches of snow. The county garage west of town measured 3.5 inches.

Winter Weather, Miami

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Miami forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
40.053, -84.229 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A spotter near Troy measured 2.7 inches of snow. The CoCoRaHS observer near Tipp City measured 2.6 inches, and another observer in Piqua measured 2 inches.

Winter Weather, Preble

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Preble forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
39.742, -84.648 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The county garage near West Alexandria measured an inch of snow, as did the CoCoRaHS observer in Eaton.

Winter Weather, Montgomery

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Montgomery forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
39.755, -84.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoRaHS observer in Miamisburg measured 4.5 inches of snow. A broadcast media report from Moraine had 3.7 inches of snow, while a CoCoRaHS observer in Union measured 3 inches. The Dayton Cox Airport measured 2.7 inches of snow.

Winter Weather, Greene

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Greene forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
39.692, -83.890 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The county garage in Xenia measured 4 inches of snow. A social media report from Fairborn showed that 3.7 inches of snow fell there, while a public report from Beavercreek showed 3.6 inches of snow there.

Winter Weather, Butler

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Butler forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
39.439, -84.576 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three inches of snow was reported from Hamilton, with 2.5 inches measured by a spotter in Oxford.

Winter Weather, Warren

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Warren forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
39.428, -84.167 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A NWS employee north of Maineville measured 3.5 inches of snow. A spotter near Landen and a social media post from Harveysburg both had 3.3 inches of snow. Another NWS employee southeast of Genntown and the county garage south of Lebanon measured 3 inches of accumulation.

Winter Weather, Hamilton

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
39.196, -84.543 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The observer near Wyoming measured 2.8 inches of snow. A spotter near White Oak measured 2.6 inches, with another measuring 2.5 inches near Sharonville.

Winter Weather, Clermont

When
January 12, 2:00 PM EST to January 13, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Clermont forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
39.047, -84.152 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A NWS employee 5 miles southeast of Loveland measured 3 inches of snow. The CoCoRaHS observer located 3 miles west of Bethel measured 2.5 inches.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Ohio in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, January 2018

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 735166, 735168, 735169, 735170, 735171, 735172, 735173, 735174, 735176, 735177, 735178, 735179, 735180, 735181, 735182, 735184, 735189, 736269, 736270, 736271.