Lake-Effect Snow in Ohio, November 27 to 29, 2023

Unseasonably cold air flowed over the relatively mild waters of Lake Erie behind a cold front, setting off a significant lake effect snow event beginning November 27th. With initially southwest winds the heaviest snow stayed out over Lake Erie on the 27th. As winds shifted west to northwest overnight November 27-28th the lake effect snow intensified and pushed farther inland, leading to the most impactful phase of the event from late in the evening on the 27th into the early morning of the 28th. Snow rates of over 2 per hour were observed within the heart of the lake effect snow bands in this window. Snow-covered roads and low visibility led to traffic accidents, with very difficult travel conditions along I-90. Lake effect lost some organization during the daylight hours on November 28th but continued accumulating through that evening before shifting out of the area by midnight. A trained spotter in Jefferson measured 16.5 of snow with this storm. Other select spotter reports include: 14.3 in Harpersfield Township, 13.6 in Pierpont, 13.2 in Rock Creek and 12.2 in Monroe Township.

Unseasonably cold air flowed over the relatively mild waters of Lake Erie behind a cold front, setting off a significant lake effect snow event beginning November 27th. With initially southwest winds the heaviest snow stayed out over Lake Erie on the 27th. As winds shifted west to northwest overnight November 27-28th the lake effect snow intensified and pushed farther inland, leading to the most impactful phase of the event from late in the evening on the 27th into the early morning of the 28th. Snow rates of over 2 per hour were observed within the heart of the lake effect snow bands in this window. Snow-covered roads and low visibility led to traffic accidents. Lake effect lost some organization during the daylight hours on November 28th but continued accumulating through that evening before shifting out of the area by very early November 29th. A trained spotter in Geneva measured 8.3 of snow. Other select totals from spotters include 6.9 in the town of Edgewood and 6 in Conneaut and Ashtabula.

Unseasonably cold air flowed over the relatively mild waters of Lake Erie behind a cold front, setting off a significant lake effect snow event beginning November 27th. With initially southwest winds the heaviest snow stayed out over Lake Erie on the 27th. As winds shifted west to northwest overnight November 27-28th the lake effect snow intensified and pushed farther inland, leading to the most impactful phase of the event from late in the evening on the 27th into the early morning of the 28th. Snow rates of over 2 per hour were observed within the heart of the lake effect snow bands in this window. Snow-covered roads and low visibility led to traffic accidents, with very difficult travel conditions along I-90. Early morning footage from news broadcasts showed disabled vehicles and deep snow cover on the interstate, especially east of Mentor. Lake effect lost some organization during the daylight hours on November 28th but continued accumulating through that evening before shifting out of the area by midnight. The heaviest snowfall generally occurred in the eastern half of Lake County. Multiple trained spotters in Madison measured 12.5 to 12.8 of snow with this storm. Elsewhere, spotters reported 8.7 in Concord Township, 7 in Painesville and 6 in Kirtland Hills.

Unseasonably cold air flowed over the relatively mild waters of Lake Erie behind a cold front, setting off a significant lake effect snow event beginning November 27th. With initially southwest winds the heaviest snow stayed out over Lake Erie on the 27th. As winds shifted west to northwest overnight November 27-28th the lake effect snow intensified and pushed farther inland, leading to the most impactful phase of the event from late in the evening on the 27th into the early morning of the 28th. Snow rates of over 2 per hour were observed within the heart of the lake effect snow bands in this window. Snow-covered roads and low visibility led to difficult travel conditions and traffic accidents. Lake effect lost some organization during the daylight hours on November 28th but continued accumulating into the evening before lifting northeast and out of the area. A CoCoRaHS observer in Thompson Township along the Lake County border measured 12.5 of snow with this storm. Another CoCoRaHS observer in Montville recorded 9.9 , with a Co-Op observer in Chardon reporting 8.5 . Selected reports from trained snow spotters include 8.8 in Munson Township, 6.7 in Auburn Township, and 6 in Burton. A member of the public reported 7 in Chesterland.

Unseasonably cold air flowed over the relatively mild waters of Lake Erie behind a cold front, setting off a significant lake effect snow event beginning November 27th. With initially southwest winds the heaviest snow stayed out over Lake Erie on the 27th. As winds shifted west to northwest overnight November 27-28th the lake effect snow intensified and pushed farther inland, leading to the most impactful phase of the event from the overnight hours into the morning of the 28th. Snow rates of over 2 per hour were observed within the heart of the lake effect snow bands in this window. Snow-covered roads and low visibility led to difficult travel conditions and numerous traffic accidents. The poor conditions coincided with the morning commute on November 28th, leading to extensive delays on all highways in the Cleveland metro area. A number of local school districts closed as a result, with Cleveland State also canceling morning classes. Lake effect lost some organization during the daylight hours on November 28th with impactful accumulations ending by the early afternoon hours. Snow amounts were not quite as heavy as farther east, but the timing of the snow led to a very high-impact event. The highest snowfall measured in the county was 7.1 , by a trained spotter in Chagrin Falls. Other selected spotter reports include 7 in Mayfield, 5.8 in Cleveland Heights, 5.7 in Beachwood and 5.5 in Lyndhurst.