Power Outage in Ashland, OH

An Arctic cold front swept through the area shortly after Midnight 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 behind the frontal passage into the morning of December 23rd before becoming much lighter by midday. 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 occasionally gusted over 40 MPH through the day. At nearby Mansfield Lahm Regional airport a peak gust of 45 MPH was measured 3 times between 7:22 AM and 1:33 PM December 23rd. At Wayne County Regional Airport a peak gust of 51 MPH was measured at 10:50 AM. Sporadic tree damage and power outages resulted. 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, at least one of these accidents resulting in minor injury. Local news media reported that the number of disabled vehicles put a strain on emergency services on December 23rd. The Ashland County Sheriff declared a Level 2 Snow Emergency the morning of December 23rd which was not lifted until the next day. This strongly discourages all non-essential travel in the county.. Wind chills plunged below 0 by 6 AM December 23rd and did not rise above 0 until the morning of December 26th. A mesonet station in Ashland recorded a minimum wind chill of -41F at 11:35 AM December 23rd. A minimum wind chill of -36F was reported at Mansfield Airport at 11:52 AM, with a minimum wind chill of -36F also recorded at nearby Wayne County Airport at 12:19 PM. A number of burst pipes were reported across northern and central Ohio due to this cold, with temperatures remaining in the single digits until Christmas morning. A trained spotter in Hayesville measured 2.0��� of snow from this storm.

Extensive tree and power pole damage in Ashland.

Wind gusts estimated to be between 60 to 70 mph downed trees, large limbs and power lines throughout the county. Scattered power outages were reported.

Several trees and power lines were blown down at Brookside Park in Ashland.

Several trees and power lines were blown down.

A portion of State Route 46 was closed because of multiple trees and power lines blown down near Mineral Ridge.

Trees and power lines were downed across the county, including in the city of Ashland and Milton Township. A tree fell onto a home in Ashland and severely damaged a chimney. Scattered power outages were also reported in the area.

Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees and large limbs across Ashland County. Around 100 homes lost power as a result of the downed trees.

High winds downed many trees and large limbs in Ashland County. Snow plows were called out to clear tree debris from the roads. Some power outages were reported. A 57 mph wind gust was measured in Hayesville.

Interstate 71 corridor during the evening hours. A three to five hour period of freezing rain occurred from the Marion area northeast through the Bucyrus, Mansfield and Ashland areas to as far north as Sandusky, Lorain and Elyria. The first report of freezing rain occurred around 8 pm and the last around 3 am on the 18th. During that time more than a quarter inch of freezing rain was reported in nine counties, including Ashland County. A few accidents and some power outages were reported during the event.

Wind gusts estimated to be at least 60 mph downed trees, large limbs and power lines throughout the county. A traffic light was blown down in Ashland. Scattered power outages were reported.

A thunderstorm downburst downed a couple of trees south of Ashland. Scattered power outages were reported in the area.

County dispatch reported numerous trees and power lines were brought down by thunderstorm winds across the county.

County dispatch reported numerous trees and power lines were brought down by thunderstorm winds across the county.

A thunderstorm downburst downed many trees and large limbs. The damage started in the Bailey Lakes area and then continued east for a few miles. Scattered power outages were reported throughout northern Ashland County.

High winds across Ashland County downed dozens of trees and large limbs. A few electric customers lost power during the storm.

An intense line of thunderstorms or Derecho moved across southern Ashland County during the afternoon of June 29th causing extensive damage. Winds were estimated to be as much as 65 mph. Over 50 percent of residents in the southern third of the county lost power during this event. Power was not completely restored for several days. Hundreds of trees were downed across the county along with many utility poles forcing the closure of some of roads and streets. Damage to homes and buildings was also extensive. Dozens of homes and buildings lost roofing or siding with many other homes damaged by fallen trees. Clean up costs were extensive. The clean up was hampered by an ongoing heat wave with afternoon temperatures in the upper 90s. Significant crop losses are also expected. Damage from this storm in southern Ashland County was comparable to the remnants of Hurricane Ike in September 2008.

A mixture of freezing rain and sleet fell on Ashland 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 Ashland County around midday on December 9th. Southwest winds behind the front rapidly increased with gusts in excess of 45 mph by early afternoon. Gusts continued to increase the remainder of the afternoon with peak gusts of around 60 mph reported during the late afternoon hours. Winds continued to gust to as much as 50 mph through 10 pm. The high winds downed a few trees and utility poles in Ashland 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.

A strong cold front moved across Ashland County during the evening of February 11th. West to southwest winds gusted to more than 60 mph behind the front. Winds finally diminished a couple hours before daybreak on the 12th. Hundreds of trees and utility poles were downed in the county causing scattered power outages. At one time, more than 25,000 customers were without power in Richland and Ashland Counties. Many buildings in the county sustained damage. Most of this was from lost shingles, but a few buildings lost gutters or sections of siding. A large tree fell on a home northeast of Nankin and caused significant damage. At least one school district in the county canceled classes because of lack of power.

Precipitation began during the overnight hours of the 19th as a mixture of sleet and freezing rain. Precipitation turned to freezing rain towards daybreak on the 19th, and then transitioned to all rain by the late morning hours. Approximately a half an inch of freezing rain was reported across the area, but the impacts were rather minimal. Temperatures were several degrees below freezing during the first few hours of the precipitation, but warmed up to around freezing by daybreak. As the morning progressed, temperatures warmed above freezing causing ice in the area to quickly melt. A few accidents were reported across the area, but no serious power outages.

High winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ike began late in the afternoon of September 14th and then continued through much of the evening. A peak gust of 73 mph was measured in the county. A tent at the Ashland County Fair was blown down by the winds. The fair had to be shut down early because of the high winds. Hundreds of fair goers had to be herded inside to safety at the onset of the high winds. Amusement rides at the fair had to be taken down to prevent them from being damaged or overturned. Damage in the county was extensive with thousands of trees and many utility poles downed. Widespread power outages occurred as well. Some locations in southern Ashland County were without power for as much as a week. Home and building damage across the county was also extensive. The damage ranged from a few shingles torn off to significant structural damage caused by fallen trees landing on roofs. Windows were blown out of several homes and many awnings and gutters were torn off. There were also a few reports of signs blown down. Numerous vehicles were damaged by fallen trees and limbs and also by 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. Most of the schools in the county were forced to close on Monday the 15th because of the power outages. Significant crop losses occurred as well. Corn yields were reduced between 3 and 5 percent in many areas with lesser losses to the soybean crop.

Freezing rain began in Ashland County just before dawn on March 4th. The freezing rain continued into the evening hours with a brief lull during the early afternoon hours. Thunder and lightning were reported during the late afternoon hours and conditions quickly deteriorated after sunset as surface temperatures dropped off a few degrees. Over a quarter inch of ice accumulation was reported by early evening with up to a half inch of accumulation for the entire storm. The freezing rain eventually changed to light snow just after midnight on the 5th. The snow finally ended around daybreak on the 5th. Many accidents and scattered power outages were reported during this event. Many trees and limbs were reported down across the county as well.

Snow spread into Ashland County during the evening hours of February 11th and continued through midday on the 12th. At that time, the precipitation transitioned to freezing rain. The freezing rain ended during the early evening hours of the 12th. Two to four 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.

Trees and power lines were reported down countywide. Also, numerous road signs were blown away from their poles.

A large tree fell onto a house in Ashland. Numerous trees and power poles down across the southern half of the county.

Freezing rain spread into Ashland 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.

Trees and power lines were reported down across the county.

During the late afternoon hours of June 22nd, severe thunderstorms moved across Ashland County and caused extensive damage. The worst damage resulted from straight line winds caused by a downburst that started east of Charles Mills Lake and continued through the Mifflin area to near Hayesville. Winds were estimated to be greater than 80 mph. Up to a thousand trees were downed along this path. Near Mifflin, a 120 foot tall radio tower was knocked down. Several homes in Mifflin lost sections of roof and three garages were also destroyed. One of the homes was damaged enough to be declared uninhabitable. In Hayesville, over half the the trees in the town were blown down and many homes were damaged. Numerous roads had to be closed because of downed trees, limbs and power lines. Across the remainder of the county, trees and power lines were reported down from as far north as Polk to Loudonville in the southeast corner of the county. At least two homes were damaged by fallen trees in Loudonville. Thousands of people lost power during this event.

Straight line winds from a thunderstorm downburst caused considerable damage at a campground south of McZena along the Ashland/Holmes county line. Around sixty trees and thirty one power poles were reported down at the campground. A pontoon boat was also flipped over. Winds from this downburst were estimated to be nearly 70 mph.

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Ashland County and downed dozens of trees. Scattered power outages were also reported. Some of the worst damage in the county occurred near Loudonville where several homes were damaged and at least two highways blocked by fallen trees. A few vehicles were damaged by fallen trees and flying debris.

A tornado touched down on the west side of Ashland near Lindale Avenue then moved east along West Main Street causing significant damage and four minor injuries. The damage path was 50 to 100 yards wide, intermittent and nearly three miles in length. The most severe damage occurred a few blocks west of downtown. Major structural damage occurred to several homes in the area including one that had an entire side blown apart. Damage to the downtown business district was much less severe with most of the damage being in the form of broken windows and torn off siding. However, three buildings lost large sections of roof and a fourth had a brick wall collapse. The roof of one of the buildings was found six blocks east of downtown. East of the business district, the damage path was intermittent with only a dozen or so homes sustaining minor damage. In total, 112 homes and 20 businesses were damaged. Of those totals, 23 homes and four businesses suffered major damage. Several cars were destroyed and hundreds of trees were toppled. Six power poles were also snapped near ground level.

Thunderstorm winds downed many trees and power lines in Ashland. A two foot diameter tree fell on a house on the south side of Ashland and caused significant damage.

An isolated severe thunderstorm downed a couple of trees in Ashland County. Scattered power outages were reported in the area.