Ohio, 2024

Lake-Effect Snow in Ohio, November 21 to 22, 2024

November 21 to 22, 2024 · NWS CLE · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A trough axis dropped southeast across Lake Erie the evening of November 21st, focusing a band of intense lake effect snow that pushed into Lake and northeastern Cuyahoga Counties in Northeast Ohio. The snow was heavy and wet, with snow rates as high as 2 inches per hour.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
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  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
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Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$150,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 trough axis dropped southeast across Lake Erie the evening of November 21st, focusing a band of intense lake effect snow that pushed into Lake and northeastern Cuyahoga Counties in Northeast Ohio. The snow was heavy and wet, with snow rates as high as 2 inches per hour. This heavy, wet snow caused significant impact to travel conditions including along parts of I-90, I-271, and Ohio Route 2, with many accidents reported. These conditions impacted the evening commute in western Lake County. The heavy, wet nature of the snow also caused damage to trees and power-lines, with nearly 10,000 customers losing power at the height of the event. Snow quickly subsiding during the early morning hours of November 22nd with temperatures also beginning to warm. Multiple members of the public reported 10 inches of snow in Willoughby and Wickliffe, 8 inches in Willoughby, and 7 inches in Richmond Heights. Trained spotters 7.9 inches of snow in Highland Heights and 6.6 inches of snow in Lyndhurst.

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 Nov 20, 4:07 PM EST, 23 hours 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 20, 4:07 PM EST, 23 hours 53 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

2 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Lake-Effect Snow, Cuyahoga

When
November 21, 4:00 PM EST to November 22, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Cuyahoga forecast zone
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.479, -81.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A trough axis dropped southeast across Lake Erie the evening of November 21st, focusing a band of intense lake effect snow that pushed into Lake and northeastern Cuyahoga Counties in Northeast Ohio. The snow was heavy and wet, with snow rates as high as 2 inches per hour. This heavy, wet snow caused significant impact to travel conditions including along parts of I-90 and I-271, with many accidents reported. The heavy, wet nature of the snow also caused damage to trees and power-lines, with over 2,000 customers losing power at the height of the event in Cuyahoga County. Snow quickly subsiding during the early morning hours of November 22nd with temperatures also beginning to warm. Trained spotters reported snow totals of 7.9 inches in Highland Heights, 6.6 inches in Lyndhurst, 6 inches in Euclid and 5.4 inches in Pepper Pike. A member of the public reported 7 inches in Richmond Heights.

Lake-Effect Snow, Lake

When
November 21, 4:00 PM EST to November 22, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.714, -81.245 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A trough axis dropped southeast across Lake Erie the evening of November 21st, focusing a band of intense lake effect snow that pushed into Lake and northeastern Cuyahoga Counties in Northeast Ohio. The snow was heavy and wet, with snow rates as high as 2 inches per hour. This heavy, wet snow caused significant impact to travel conditions including along parts of I-90, I-271 and Route 2, with many accidents reported. There were significant impacts to the evening commute in western Lake County. The heavy, wet nature of the snow also caused damage to trees and power-lines, with over 8,000 customers losing power at the height of the event in Lake County. Snow quickly subsiding during the early morning hours of November 22nd with temperatures also beginning to warm. Members of the public reported snow totals of 10 inches in Willoughby and Wickliffe, 8 inches in Willowick and 7 inches in Eastlake. Trained spotters reported 6.3 inches in Mentor and 6 inches in Mentor-on-the-Lake.

What these are

Lake-Effect Snow
Heavy snow in bands downwind of a large lake as cold air crosses warmer water.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Ohio in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, November 2024

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1226124, 1226126.