Power Outage in Akron, OH

An Arctic cold front swept through the area around 2 AM December 23rd. Low pressure along this front tracked over Lake Erie early in the morning on December 23rd and rapidly intensified through the day while slowly lifting northeast across Ontario. With the frontal passage rain changed to snow with temperatures dropping from the upper 30s and lower 40s to sub-zero in about 8 hours. A period of moderate to heavy snow, with rates briefly up to 1��� per hour, occurred during the early morning of December 23rd behind the front. Snow began tapering through the morning. The period of snow and rapidly falling temperatures led to a flash freeze and icy conditions on area roadways. While the falling snow became lighter through the daytime hours of December 23rd, winds began increasing during the pre-dawn hours and gusted over 40 MPH through the day. Akron Fulton Airport measured a peak wind gust of 51 MPH at 5:27 AM December 23rd, with a 49 MPH gust recorded at Akron-Canton Airport at 6:28 AM. This resulted in sporadic power outages across the county. Wind gusts very gradually subsided into December 24th, though gusts didn���t drop below 30 MPH until that evening. This led to a prolonged period of widespread blowing and drifting snow beginning early in the morning December 23rd and continuing through the afternoon and evening, with some patchy blowing and drifting snow continuing all the way through Christmas Eve. The greatest impact from this storm was to travel due to the flash freeze and extensive blowing and drifting snow, to go along with low visibility. Numerous minor accidents, slide-offs and disabled vehicles were reported throughout the area on December 23rd and 24th with over a dozen of these accidents resulting in at least minor injuries. Wind chills plunged below 0 around 5 AM December 23rd and didn���t warm back above 0 until the morning of December 26th. A minimum wind chill of -31F was recorded at 1:51 PM on December 23rd at Akron-Canton Airport, with a wind chill of -30F recorded at 1:54 PM at Akron Fulton. A mesonet station in Copley recorded a wind chill of -31F at 3:05 PM. A number of burst pipes were reported across northern Ohio due to this cold, with temperatures remaining in the single digits until Christmas morning. Warming centers were also opened in Akron and Barberton in response. Trained spotters measured 4.9��� of snow in Bath, 4.5��� in Reminderville, 4.0��� near Barberton, 3.7��� in Tallmadge and 3.3��� in Sagamore Hills with this storm. A Co-Op observer measured 3.0��� in Munroe Falls. Akron-Canton Airport reported 2.7��� of snow.

Tree down across OH-241 in Green. Also at 7 AM EDT, a tree and power lines were reported down on OH-91 near Ellet Plaza in the Mogadore area.

Multiple roads closed in Summit County due to downed trees or power lines.

Large tree down on power lines across road in Green, near the Nimisila Reservoir.

Rain changed over to snow during the evening hours of November 30 in Northeast Ohio, as low pressure moved just east of the area. During the early morning hours of December 1, heavy, wet snow overspread the region with visibility dropping to one-quarter of a mile or less and snowfall rates up to one inch per hour. Travel was severely disrupted by this storm as heavy snow quickly accumulated on area roadways and any pre-treatment efforts were hampered by rain earlier on November 30. Due to the heavy, wet nature of the snow and only modest wind speeds of 10 to 15 mph, blowing and drifting snow was not a big issue during this event. However, snow easily collected on area trees, especially area evergreen trees, and the weight of the snow allowed for trees to fall onto area roads, power lines, and even some buildings. Schools and several businesses closed on December 1 and 2 due to the weather conditions. In Summit County, snowfall totals ranged from 4 to 15 inches of snow for the event. A peak total of 15.2 inches of snow was observed in Sagamore Hills. Other selected snowfall totals include: 14 inches in Boston Heights, 10.9 inches in Bath Township, 8.2 inches in Cuyahoga Falls, 7.5 inches in Munroe Falls, 6.7 inches in Fairlawn, 5.8 inches in Tallmadge, 5.2 inches in Akron, 4.3 inches in New Franklin, and 3.5 inches at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport in Green.

First Energy reported power outages due to damaged trees in downtown area of Fairlawn. Farther to the northeast, one tree was reported down at Hampton Ridge Drive and Smith Road in Fairlawn.

Social media report of power pole snapped and wires in street. Three miles WNW of Akron. Time estimated via radar with passing rain showers.

High wind gusts of at least 60 mph downed trees, large limbs and power lines throughout the county. Scattered power outages were reported. A tree fell onto a home in Cuyahoga Falls.

A tree fell onto a house with damage. There were numerous reports of trees and power line blown down across the area.

Several power lines were blown down.

There were multiple reports of large trees blown down and power line blocking roads in south Akron. Several roads were blocked and impassable.

Akron-Canton Airport reported a 61 mph wind gust at 7:24 pm local time. Numerous trees, power lines, and power poles were reported down across the entire area, including in Akron, Clinton, Hudson, Macedonia, Munroe Falls, and Stow. A large tree smashed into a house in Akron. Several thousand were without power on the 24th and into the 25th.

An automated weather station at Akron-Canton Regional Airport measured a wind gust of 53 mph. Another automated weather station at Akron Fulton Airport measured a wind gust of 48 mph. Several trees were reported downed in the northern part of the county, specifically, in Northfield and Twinsburg. Tens of thousands were without power into the morning of the 1st.

An automated weather station at Akron-Canton Regional Airport measured a wind gust of 53 mph. Another automated weather station at Akron Fulton Airport measured a wind gust of 48 mph. Several trees were reported downed in the northern part of the county, specifically, in Northfield and Twinsburg. Tens of thousands were without power into the morning of the 1st.

Thunderstorm winds downed some trees and power lines along Boston Mills Road.

An area of deepening low pressure moved up the Ohio Valley on March 1st. The low moved across the southeastern corner of Ohio during the afternoon hours. A large area of precipitation fell to the north of the low track. The precipitation initially began as rain but changed to snow during the early evening hours as cold air filtered into the region on the backside of the low. Light to moderate snow then continued for much of the night. The heaviest snow fell during the late evening and early morning hours with visibilities a half mile or less. Winds gusted to more than 45 mph during the event. Peak gusts occurred around 8 pm and included 53 mph at Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport and 48 mph at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. The snow tapered to flurries a couple hours before daybreak. Wind gusts dropped off quickly after midnight on the 2nd and by daybreak were no more than 20 mph. Accumulations of 6 to 10 inches of snow were reported across Cuyahoga, Summit, Geauga and Ashtabula Counties. The strong winds caused a lot of blowing and drifting and made driving difficult. Scattered power outages were also reported from the strong winds. Totals from Summit County included 7.0 inches in Akron; 6.8 inches in Fairlawn; 6.1 inches in Cuyahoga Falls and 6.0 inches in Green Township. Many accidents were reported.

Thunderstorm downburst wind gusts estimated to be as much as 100 mph caused extensive damage across northern Summit County. Thousands of trees and dozens of utility poles were reported down in Richfield, Boston, Sagamore Hills and Twinsburg Townships. The damage was most concentrated in the Twinsburg area with hundreds of homes loosing roofing or siding. Many other homes and buildings were damaged by fallen trees. Many vehicles were also damaged by flying debris or downed trees or limbs. There were numerous reports of roads and streets blocked by fallen trees or power lines. A 30,000 volt high power tension line was blown down along Liberty Road near Irena Lane in Twinsburg. The damage in the county extended as far south as Cuyahoga Falls and even Tallmadge. Widespread power outages were reported and school districts in the area had to close on November 6th because of blocked roads and the power outages. Up to 25,000 customers lost power from this storm. It took five days for power to fully restored and weeks for the storm damage to be cleaned up.

Thunderstorm winds downed trees and limbs in the Akron and Stow areas resulting in scattered power outages. At the peak of the storm a few thousand customers were without power.

Thunderstorm winds downed several trees and power lines in the Firestone Park area of Akron.

High winds of at least 60 mph downed trees and limbs throughout Summit County. Scattered power outages were reported.

High winds downed dozens of trees and large limbs across Summit County. Over 7,000 electric customers lost power during the storm. There were reports of trees on houses and vehicles. Some homes also lost sections of roofing and siding.

A couple of trees and a few power lines were downed across the county.

The maximum daily total precipitation that was reported by an official NWS cooperative weather observer was 4.84 inches at the Akron-Canton Airport (CAK). CAK Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) recorded the rain between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM of around 4 inches, with additional rainfall thereafter. This rainfall event frequency falls around a 500 year recurrence interval, or 0.2% chance of occurring in a single year. The heavy rain flooded the airport, shorting out the power supply. The automated rain gage failed at this point, but a backup rain gage observation supports the storm total. The basement of the airport flooded, along with the parking lots resulting in floating cars and significant damage to the vehicles. Flights were cancelled for half a day.

A mixture of freezing rain and sleet fell on Stark County during the early morning hours of February 1st. Up to a quarter inch of ice accumulation was reported by daybreak. A second round of freezing rain and drizzle began during the afternoon hours and continued into the early morning hours of the 2nd. Some sleet mixed with the freezing rain at times. A few power outages resulted from the freezing rain early on the 1st. Power outages were more numerous on 2nd. Wrap around snow behind the low affected northern Ohio during the daylight hours of the 2nd. Some of the snow was locally heavy with visibilities at times less than a quarter mile. Much of the area saw between one and three inches of snow. The snow quickly ended from west to east during the evening hours. Strong winds also accompanied the precipitation. Many schools were closed on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd because of residual thick ice on parking lots, sidewalks and secondary roads. This ice resulted from the combination of two days of mixed freezing rain, sleet and snow and was up to two inches thick in some areas. Removing the ice from sidewalks and driveways was nearly impossible.

A strong cold front moved across Summit County around midday on December 9th. A cluster of showers developed in advance of this front and produced brief wind gusts in excess of 55 mph. A 61 mph gust was measured at the Akron Canton Airport at 12:29 pm as the showers moved through. A 56 mph gust was also measured at Akron Fulton Airport at 12:25 pm. Southwest winds behind the cold front rapidly increased during the afternoon hours with gusts of around 60 mph reported late in the day. Winds continued to gust to as much as 50 mph through 10 pm. The high winds downed trees, utility poles and power lines in Summit County. Scattered power outages were reported. Some homes and buildings in the county sustained minor damage. Most of this was from lost siding or roofing. Much of this damage was associated with the showers that moved through early in the afternoon.

A strong cold front moved across Summit County during the evening of February 11th. West to southwest winds gusted to more than 60 mph behind the front. A 59 mph gust was measured at Akron Fulton Airport at 12:44 am. Winds finally diminished a couple hours before daybreak on the 12th. Dozens of trees and a few utility poles were downed in the county causing scattered power outages. Many buildings in the county sustained damage. Most of this was from lost shingles, but a few buildings lost gutters or sections of siding.

High winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ike began during the early evening hours of September 14th and continued through late evening. Peak wind gusts were estimated to be around 60 mph with the strongest winds occurring between 6 and 8 pm. A peak measured gust of 55 mph was recorded by an automated sensor at the Akron-Canton Airport at 6:53 PM EDT. Damage in the county was extensive with thousands of trees and many utility poles downed. Widespread power outages occurred with some customers without power for several days. Homes and buildings were damaged throughout the county. The damage ranged from a few shingles torn off to significant structural damage caused by fallen trees landing on roofs. Numerous vehicles were damaged by fallen trees and limbs and also from flying debris. This storm hampered travel as downed trees and power lines forced the closure of many roads. Substantial clean up costs were incurred by local governments. In Summit County alone, local government agencies spent nearly $1.5 million on cleanup costs. Over 450 schools in the county were forced to close on Monday the 15th because of the power outages.

A thunderstorm downburst downed many trees in Norton. An above ground swimming pool was flattened and at least one home had windows blown out. Scattered power outages were reported throughout the city as well.

Freezing rain began in Summit County just before dawn on March 4th. The freezing rain continued through the evening hours with a brief lull during the afternoon and another around midnight on the 5th. Conditions quickly deteriorated after sunset as surface temperatures dropped off a few degrees. Over a quarter inch of ice accumulation was reported on roads and sidewalks by early evening with over half an inch of ice accumulation on trees and power poles. The freezing rain eventually changed to light snow during the early morning hours of the 5th. The snow tapered to flurries just after daybreak on the 5th after about an inch of accumulation. Many accidents and scattered power outages were reported during this event. A few trees and limbs were reported down across the county as well. Officially, 1.40 inches of precipitation was recorded at the Akron-Canton Airport on March 4th and 5th. Most of this fell as freezing rain with 1.1 inches of snow measured on the 5th.

Snow spread into Summit County during the late evening hours of February 11th and continued through the early afternoon hours of the 12th. At that time, the precipitation transitioned to freezing rain. The freezing rain briefly changed to rain before ending during the evening hours of the 12th. Four to six inches of snow was reported across the county along with up to a quarter inch of ice accumulation. Many accidents and a few power outages were reported. Officially, 5.5 inches of snow and 0.16 inches of freezing rain was recorded at the Akron-Canton Airport.

A large tree fell onto power lines tearing them down also in Akron. Large limbs were also reported down countywide.

Several trees, large limbs, and power lines were reported down across the county.

Five trees and several power lines were reported down in Norton.

Freezing rain spread into Summit County during the early morning hours of March 15th. The freezing rain transitioned to light snow around daybreak. Around a quarter inch of ice accumulated along with a dusting of snow. A few power outages and accidents were reported.

A few trees were reported down, which also took down power lines in the area.

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Summit County and downed hundreds of trees and caused widespread power outages. The Stow and Cuyahoga Falls areas were especially hard hit with many homes and vehicles damaged by fallen trees. A spotter in Stow measured a 60 mph gust at 4:25 p.m. Dozens of other homes and vehicles were damaged elsewhere in the county. Tens of thousands of customers lost power during this storm.

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Summit County around daybreak and caused scattered power outages. Many trees were downed across the county and a house was heavily damaged in Cuyahoga Falls. Two other homes were damaged in Tallmadge and a car was crushed by a tree in Fairlawn.

Thunderstorm winds downed a few power poles.

A low pressure system over the upper Midwest moved across the Great Lakes on June 18. Ahead of the low pressure system, a warm front moved over the area early on June 18 bringing temperatures into the mid-80s that afternoon. A cold front trailed the low pressure system and moved across the Great Lakes through the afternoon. Ahead of the cold front, several severe thunderstorms developed, including one storm that produced and EF-1 tornado in northern Stark County. Additional thundestorms dropped very heavy rainfall across the area, especially in the Akron Metro area, as rainfall flooded the Central Interchange and many roadways south of the city.||National Weather Service Survey Team decided an EF-1 tornado touched down in Uniontown near the Uniontown Fire Department and traveled east southeast along an intermittent path for approximately 9 miles through Lake Township. Most of the damage observed was to trees that were uprooted or snapped part of the way up of the ground. A newly constructed dairy barn in Marlboro township near State Route 44 and St. Peters Church Road had significant roof damage. Minor roof and siding damage was observed along the tornado path. A swath of straight line wind damage occurred south of the tornado track from the north side of Canton to Louisville. Numerous trees and power poles were brought down, with at least one tree falling on a home. Several people were trapped in an SUV due to the downed power poles.

A stationary front was located across northern Ohio on April 10th with temperatures ranging from 50 degrees near Lake Erie to near 80 degrees in Central Ohio. Severe thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon and early evening as a mid-level jet streak interacted with moderately unstable conditions in place south of the front. Reports of wind damage extended from Wyandot County in Northwest Ohio to Trumbull County in Northeast Ohio with numerous reports of downed trees limbs and power lines. One of the more noteworthy reports came from Upper Sandusky in Wyandot County where four semi-trucks were blown over. Several buildings also sustained minor damage to roofs and windows in Crawford, Richland, Summit, Portage, and Stark Counties. The peak wind measured during the storms was 64 mph measured at an AWOS sensor at the Portage County Airport in Ravenna. One building collapsed with three others sustaining damage at the Portage County Aiport grounds. In Stark County, a dugout at Marlington High School was also destroyed by the wind. Farther to the south, a swath of quarter to half dollar size hail and heavy rain extended from near Marion to Canton.

A potent winter storm affected northern Ohio on December 22nd and 23rd. Low pressure developed over eastern Texas early on the 22nd and then moved quickly northeast. The low eventually tracked across eastern Ohio during the morning hours of the 23rd after dumping nearly two feet of snow on portions of Ohio. The snow began in northeastern Ohio late on the morning of the 22nd and then intensified during the afternoon. Visibilities during the evening hours were near zero at times. After midnight, warmer air moved into the area and caused the snow to first mix with, and then change completely to freezing rain. Temperatures briefly climbed above freezing around daybreak on the 23rd causing the freezing rain to change to rain. Colder air working in behind the low changed the rain back to light snow later in the morning. Periods of snow then persisted through the middle portion of the afternoon. Snowfall accumulations ranged from 12 to 16 inches over Lake, Geauga and northern Ashtabula Counties, and 4 to 6 inches in southern Mahoning County. In addition, most of the area saw at least a quarter inch of ice accumulation with as much as one half inch of ice over most of Mahoning and southern Trumbull Counties. Scattered power outages resulted from the ice accumulation. Travel during this event was very treacherous with hundreds of accidents reported. It took several days for road and power company crews to completely clean up after this event. Damage and clean up costs for this storm were in the millions.

Strong low pressure moved northeast across Ohio during the afternoon and early evening hours. Damaging southwest winds occurred late in the afternoon with winds quickly shifting to the northwest during the evening as a trailing cold front moved across the area. Many trees were downed and scattered power outages were also reported. Knox County was hardest hit with a barn blown off of its foundation and several dozen trees downed. Also hard hit were Portage and Trumbull Counties where widespread power outages occurred.