Extreme Cold in Ohio, January 30 to 31, 2019

Name: Extreme Cold in Ohio, January 30 to 31, 2019
Start: 2019-01-30T04:00
End: 2019-01-31T23:00
Location: Ohio

January 30 to 31, 2019 · NWS CLE · 29 events in 29 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 29 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
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Fire, smoke and dust
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The toll

Deaths: 4
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $100,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 29

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.

A strong low pressure system moved through the Great Lakes region on the morning of January 29 and departed into Canada. In the wake of this low, an arctic cold front moved through the lower Great Lakes region early on January 29, allowing for arctic high pressure to build over the midwest, setting up an extremely cold pattern for January 29 - 31. The blistering cold that entered the region resulted in temperatures on January 30 and 31 being some of the coldest recorded in five years. A strong pressure gradient set up over the region between the departing low pressure system and the incoming surface high resulting in winds to 30 - 35 mph across the region. These strong winds along with the extreme cold allowed for wind chills to drop below zero degrees by midday on January 29 and not return above zero until late on January 31. The coldest temperatures during this event were on the morning of January 30 with several locations approaching or exceeding record low temperatures in the -5F to -11F range. During these coldest temperatures, the wind chill reached -25F for several hours across the entire area with several locations reaching wind chill values of -35F to -40F for a time. Temperatures on January 30 stayed near or below zero for much of the day and dropped back below zero on the morning of January 31. Record low temperatures were set again on January 31, but the winds had subsided to 15 to 20 mph across the area, allowing for wind chills in the -15F to -20F range. Temperatures reached the upper single digits during the day on January 31 and winds subsided to light and variable, ending the extreme cold threat. Four deaths were reported in Ohio as a result of the extreme cold. All area schools closed on both January 30 and 31 due to the cold conditions.

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 Jan 30, 3:42 AM EST, 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 30, 3:42 AM EST, 18 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 29, 11:45 AM EST, 16 hours 15 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

29 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lucas

When: January 30, 4:00 AM EST to January 31, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Lucas forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.684, -83.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. Low temperatures at Toledo Express Airport reached -10F on both January 30 and 31, setting new record lows for each date. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. At Toledo Express Airport, wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30 and the lowest wind chill recorded during the event was -38F during the late morning hours of the 30th. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wood

When: January 30, 4:00 AM EST to January 31, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Wood forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.362, -83.623 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. Low temperatures at Toledo Executive Airport reached -9F on January 30 and -8F on January 31. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. At Toledo Executive Airport, wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30 and the lowest wind chill recorded during the event was -36F during the late morning hours of the 30th. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hancock

When: January 30, 4:00 AM EST to January 31, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Hancock forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.002, -83.666 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. Low temperatures at Findlay Airport reached -9F on January 30 and -7F on January 31. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. At Findlay Airport, wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30 and the lowest wind chill recorded during the event was -37F during the late morning hours of the 30th. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wyandot

When: January 30, 4:00 AM EST to January 31, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Wyandot forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.842, -83.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. Wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30 with wind chills of -30F to -35F being noted during the late morning hours. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Seneca

When: January 30, 4:00 AM EST to January 31, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Seneca forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.124, -83.128 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Sandusky

When: January 30, 4:00 AM EST to January 31, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Sandusky forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.357, -83.144 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Ottawa

When: January 30, 4:00 AM EST to January 31, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Ottawa forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.497, -82.941 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Marion

When: January 30, 5:00 AM EST to January 31, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Marion forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 40.587, -83.161 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. Low temperatures at Marion Airport reached -9F on January 30 and -4F on January 31. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. At Marion Airport, wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30 and the lowest wind chill recorded during the event was -34F during the late morning hours of the 30th. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Erie

When: January 30, 5:00 AM EST to January 31, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Erie forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.432, -82.700 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Huron

When: January 30, 5:00 AM EST to January 31, 10:00 PM EST
Where: Huron forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.146, -82.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Crawford

When: January 30, 5:00 AM EST to January 31, 10:00 PM EST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.851, -82.920 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Morrow

When: January 30, 6:00 AM EST to January 31, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Morrow forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.524, -82.794 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Richland

When: January 30, 6:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Richland forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 40.775, -82.536 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. Low temperatures at Mansfield Lahm Airport reached -10F on January 30 and -7F on January 31, setting new record lows for each date. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. At Mansfield Lahm Airport, wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30 and the lowest wind chill recorded during the event was -33F during the late morning hours of the 30th. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Ashland

When: January 30, 7:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Ashland forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.846, -82.271 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lorain

When: January 30, 7:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Lorain forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.453, -82.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. Low temperatures at Lorain County Airport reached -6F on January 30 and -4F on January 31. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. At Lorain County Airport, wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30 and the lowest wind chill recorded during the event was -32F during the late morning hours of the 30th. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold. One death occurred in the county due to the extreme cold. One homeless woman died from hyopthermia in a vacant home in Lorain.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wayne

When: January 30, 8:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 40.829, -81.888 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. Low temperatures at Wayne County Airport reached -6F on January 30 and -5F on January 31. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. At Wayne County Airport, wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30 and the lowest wind chill recorded during the event was -32F during the late morning hours of the 30th. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Knox

When: January 30, 8:00 AM EST to January 31, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Knox forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 40.399, -82.421 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. Low temperatures at Knox County Airport reached -4F on January 30 and -2F on January 31. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. At Knox County Airport, wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30 and the lowest wind chill recorded during the event was -33F during the late morning hours of the 30th. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Medina

When: January 30, 8:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Medina forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.118, -81.900 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Holmes

When: January 30, 8:00 AM EST to January 31, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Holmes forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.561, -81.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lake

When: January 30, 9:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.714, -81.245 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Mahoning

When: January 30, 9:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Mahoning forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.015, -80.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Stark

When: January 30, 9:00 AM EST to January 31, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Stark forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.814, -81.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Geauga

When: January 30, 9:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Geauga forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.500, -81.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Portage

When: January 30, 9:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Portage forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 41.168, -81.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. Low temperatures at Portage County Airport reached -4F on January 30 and -3F on January 31. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. At Portage County Airport, wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30 and the lowest wind chill recorded during the event was -31F during the late morning hours of the 30th. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Summit

When: January 30, 9:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Summit forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.126, -81.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. Low temperatures at Akron Fulton Airport reached -3F on January 30 and -2F on January 31. Low temperatures at Akron-Canton Airport reached -5F on January 30 and -3F on January 31. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. At Akron Fulton and Akron-Canton Airports, wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30. The lowest wind chill recorded during the event at Akron Fulton Airport was -26F and at Akron-Canton Airport it was -29F, both during the late morning hours of the 30th. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Cuyahoga

When: January 30, 9:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Cuyahoga forecast zone
Deaths: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.479, -81.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. Low temperatures at Cleveland Hopkins Airport reached -3F on January 30 and -2F on January 31. Low temperatures at Burke Lakefront Airport reached -2F on January 30 and -2F on January 31. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. At Cleveland Hopkins and Burke Lakefront Airports, wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30. The lowest wind chill recorded during the event at Cleveland Hopkins Airport was -29F and at Burke Lakefront Airport it was -30F, both during the late morning hours of the 30th. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold. A large water main break occurred in Cleveland's Tremont Neighborhood. Water from this break flooded nearby streets and inundated nearby cars and property. Three deaths occurred in the county due to the extreme cold. One homeless man died from hyopthermia in a vacant home in Cleveland. A woman in Olmsted Township and a man in Euclid also died from hypothermia after being outside during the extreme cold.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Ashtabula Lakeshore

When: January 30, 10:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Ashtabula Lakeshore forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.896, -80.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Ashtabula

When: January 30, 10:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Ashtabula forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.896, -80.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. Low temperatures at Ashtabula County Airport reached -5F on January 30 and -6F on January 31. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. At Ashtabula County Airport, wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30 and the lowest wind chill recorded during the event was -29F during the late morning hours of the 30th. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Trumbull

When: January 30, 10:00 AM EST to January 31, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Trumbull forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 41.317, -80.761 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extremely cold weather settled over the area on January 30 and 31, bringing the coldest temperatures that the region had seen in four or five years. Low temperatures at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport reached -5F on January 30 and -7F on January 31. With winds gusting to 30 - 35 mph, wind chills across the county dropped below zero midday on January 29 and did not recover to above zero until late on January 31. At Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, wind chills reached -25F for a period on January 30 and the lowest wind chill recorded during the event was -30F during the late morning hours of the 30th. All area schools were closed on January 30 and 31 due to the extreme cold.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lorain	2019-01-31	60	Female	Permanent Home	Direct
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Cuyahoga	2019-01-31	65	Male	Permanent Home	Direct
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Cuyahoga	2019-01-31	48	Female	Outside/Open Areas	Direct
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Cuyahoga	2019-01-31	59	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill: Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Ohio in 2019 Every state in 2019 This day in weather history Warnings in Ohio, January 2019

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 804343, 804344, 804345, 804347, 804348, 804349, 804356, 804346, 804350, 804351, 804352, 804353, 804354, 804379, 804388, 804358, 804359, 804360, 804376, 804355, 804363, 804364, 804365, 804371, 804386, 804387, 804366, 804384, 804385.