Power Outage in Athens, OH

Several trees were blown down south of Athens. Power lines that fell in accompaniment led to power outages in the area.

Over 28,000 homes in Athens County were without power due to tree damage and downed power lines.

Three separate locations with tree contact resulted in approximately sixty customers without power.

Multiple trees and power lines were blown down and damaged in and around Athens.

Strong winds resulted in severe damage to trees and homes in a community near Hebbardsville. Several power lines were also downed.

Near the town of Sugar Creek, trees and power lines were downed.

Trees and a power line were downed near Coolville.

Trees and power lines were blown down along Angel Ridge Road, Coolville Ridge Road and State Route 32.

Multiple trees and power poles were downed west of Glouster.

A power line was downed by a falling tree.

A very weak tornado touched down near Nelsonville, along Cullison Road, where it lofted a trampoline into power lines and blew around some loose pieces of sheet metal. Additional damage occurred near the end of the path, along Kimberly Road. Here, several trees were uprooted or snapped, with one falling onto a house, penetrating the roof. The survey found all of the trees that fell were diseased or weakly rooted. Also in this area, a metal carport was tossed into the woods. The estimated maximum wind speed was 55 mph. A video of the tornado was taken near Cullison Road, showing a rotating funnel above the ground, with the trampoline and sheet metal being picked up and thrown as it passed over.

Trees or large branches fell onto power lines.

Trees fell onto power llines, knocking out the electricity.

Trees were blown onto power lines.

Scattered locations had trees down, with some falling on power lines.

Trees and power lines were knocked down along Salem Road or County Route 9.

Power lines were knocked down by fallen trees and large branches.

Numerous large trees and branches were blown down in the city. The Emergency Management Agency reported 2 houses were severely damaged by fallen trees. Trees also fell across roads, sidewalks, driveways, and yards. Electrical power was lost.

Strong thunderstorms developed along a quick moving cold front on the morning of April 16th in the Ohio Valley. This boundary kicked into motion in the late morning hours as its parent low pressure system tracked into the Great Lakes and encroached on southeast Ohio by the early afternoon. One storm in particular passed through Athens County and caused several trees to be blown down along with power lines.

In the wake of early morning thunderstorms along a cold frontal passage in southeast Ohio, the afternoon time frame on April 1st featured gusty to strong winds mixing down to the surface. Gusts on the upwards of 40-50 miles per hour were common throughout the afternoon, and led to numerous areas of downed trees and power lines. Tens of thousands of households in southeast Ohio lost power as a result, as well as traffic obstructions due to the tree and power line damage.||Surface wind gusts gradually diminished late on the 1st and into the early morning hours of April 2nd once the low pressure system exited the region and high pressure built in from the west. Efforts to restore power in the area carried on for the next several days as utility companies worked to fix damaged power poles and lines.

A strong low pressure system crossing into the Great Lakes region on March 25th sent a cold front through southeast Ohio during the late morning hours. In the wake of the front, a tightened pressure gradient took shape over the region, which resulted in strong and high winds in Ohio. Gusts on the upwards of 45-55 mph were observed across southeast Ohio during the afternoon, with the highest observation of 59 mph occurring at the Athens County airport.||Downed trees and power lines were the most common occurrences as the strongest winds swept through the region. However, a few instances of roofs blowing off of buildings were observed in Athens and Gallia Counties. Large sections of shingles were blown off of residential homes in Washington County as well.||These strong winds quickly diminished later that evening as the disturbance progressed into New England and high pressure built in from the Ohio Valley.

In the midst of a passing low pressure system, strong winds outside of showers and storms developed on the afternoon of March 3rd as a potent low level jet streamed in with the disturbance. This led to gusts on the upwards of 58 mph or greater and resulted in downed trees and power lines across southeast Ohio. While most fell onto the nearby roadway, a downed power line in Proctorville laid onto a parked car and made the car inaccessible until the lines could be removed.

A potent low pressure system approaching from the Tennessee Valley on the afternoon of March 3rd coincided with a surface front. This boundary pushed a line of strong thunderstorms into southeast Ohio during the peak of the afternoon. Storms were capable of dragging down strong winds aloft from the passing low level jet. As a result, downed trees and power lines were observed in Jackson, Vinton, and Athens Counties.

A series of cold fronts and disturbances passed through southeast Ohio from July 20th to 23rd, with daily afternoon showers and thunderstorms ensuing. Storms that occurred from the 20th to 22nd resulted in some minor tree damage, but the more substantial activity arrived on the 23rd, when trees and power lines were knocked down.

Strong to severe thunderstorms ahead of a cold front led to numerous areas of downed trees for the second half of the day on June 22nd. One storm in particular brought upon severe damage to a local community in Athens County involving homes, trees, and power lines. Storms came to an end later that evening as the cold front completed its passage over southeast Ohio.

Ahead of a frontal boundary, a line of thunderstorms crossed through the Ohio Valley during the late afternoon of June 13th, moving into southeast Ohio during the evening hours. Hot temperatures during the day aided with providing plenty of afternoon heating for these storms to continue to develop and persist as the system crossed through the region. Damaging winds were the main concern with this line of storms as it persisted across the Ohio Valley, however frequent lightning also accompanied the storms.||A second line of storms formed along the lingering frontal boundary and pushed into the northern portion of the region during the night of the 13th. Damaging winds were again the main threat with this secondary line of storms. Following this line, yet another round of storms with damaging winds entered along the northwestern portions of the area during the early morning of June 14th as enough instability continued to be present across the area. A fourth line then passed through by the later morning hours of the 14th. ||The main impacts from these storms were the numerous trees and power lines that were blown down across the region. Multiple power outages occurred across southeast Ohio. In Athens County, trees blew down and damaged a deck railing. Following the multiple rounds of storms, a few high water issues occurred in Meigs County.

What began as a flooding event transitioned into a winter weather event as rain transitioned to a wintry mix during the afternoon and evening of February 3rd as an arctic cold front crossed through the Ohio Valley. Warmer air at the upper levels allowed for freezing rain to occur along southeast Ohio. Areas of over a quarter of an inch of ice accretion occurred, with some localized higher amounts up to around four tenths of an inch of ice observed.||The wintry mix of precipitation transitioned to snow late on February 3rd into early February 4th where snowfall accumulations of around 1 to 3 inches fell along southeast Ohio. A second wave of light snowfall moved in late on February 4th into the morning of February 5th where an additional 1 to 3 inches of snowfall fell. The freezing rain had the most significant impact with this system, leading to numerous power outages and tree damage along the northern portions of southeast Ohio. Morgan County had widespread power outages which led to significant disruptions in communication.

A complex winter storm brought a mixture of rain, sleet and freezing rain to most of the region, with snow in the mountains, on Sunday January 16th. The mixed precipitation changed to snow from west to east during the late afternoon into the evening and the snow fell heavily at times overnight and early Monday morning. As the parent storm system moved to our northeast, the snow became more showery in nature into Monday afternoon, with snow showers lingering in the mountains through Tuesday morning.||In southeast Ohio, the heaviest snow occurred along the Ohio River, where 6 to 10 inches fell. The snow began wet and heavy, which caused power outages where the heaviest snow fell. Several thousand households were out of power in southeast Ohio from this winter event.

A third winter storm in a short span of time impacted southeast Ohio, this time on February 17th through the 18th. The low pressure system involved in this event prompted a band of heavy snow along the Ohio River on the evening of the 17th and continued into the day on the 18th. 1 to 4 inches of snow fell across southeast Ohio, with the highest accumulations falling in the Long Bottom area of Meigs County.||This active weather pattern hindered efforts to restore power across the Tri-State region from the previous winter storms and caused hazardous travel conditions across much of the region. The snow accumulating on top of ice from previous storms also caused additional tree damage and power outages. Lawrence and Gallia Counties were hit the hardest by these repeating winter storms, where 51% of Lawrence County and 16% of Gallia County were without power.

A fast moving, yet significant winter storm moved through the area on the morning of February 15th. As the system moved through, a warm nose of air moving northward resulted in a second round of mixed precipitation in just a few short days after the previous storm. This brought a combination of snow, sleet, and freezing rain to portions of southeast Ohio.||The ice accumulations from the system provided the biggest impacts across the region with a swath of around one-quarter inch of ice up the Ohio River Valley, with up to one-half inch reported in Lawrence Co. This was the second significant ice event in 5 days and resulted in widespread power outages due to downed trees and powerlines.

A high impact event affected extreme southeast Ohio beginning on the morning of February 10th, as a wave of precipitation pressed into the area in response to a stationary boundary in close proximity. This resulted in a mixed bag of winter precipitation across the area, with significant ice accumulations occur in far southern Ohio. In Jackson and Lawrence Counties widespread power outages were reported by the Emergency Managers as ice accumulated along the power lines.

A strong cold front whipped through southeast Ohio on the afternoon of the 15th with accompanying severe thunderstorms. Several storms inflicted downed trees and power lines across Perry, Morgan, and Vinton Counties.

On a warm afternoon on June 10th, a line of strong thunderstorms entered southeast Ohio ahead of an approaching cold front. These storms brought strong winds and a few instances of small hail across the region. The Automated Weather Observing System in Athens County recorded a wind gust of 53 MPH at the time strong storms were pressing eastward into the Ohio River Valley. Widespread wind damage was observed through downed trees and power lines, as well as a roof being partially blown off in Lawrence County.

A warm front lifted northward into Ohio on the evening of the 23rd, promoting widespread showers and a few isolated thunderstorms due to the close proximity of an approaching cold front. Local reports of 1 to 1.5 inches of rain had fallen between the evening of the 23rd and the morning of the 24th.||Behind the cold front, very gusty winds developed with most areas seeing gusts of 40 to 50 knots. Combined with the soggy ground, these winds led to power outages due to downed trees and power lines. Thousands of power customers lost power, and it took a couple days for all service to be restored.

A strong low pressure system moved through the middle Ohio River Valley on the 7th. North and west of this low, surface temperatures remained at or below freezing. This resulted in a period of freezing rain, sleet and snow. Ice accretion of 0.25 to 0.3 inches occurred in a strip across Vinton, Athens, Perry and Morgan County. Scattered power outages occurred across Perry and Morgan counties where the widespread icing brought down trees and power lines. There was a sharp line between the freezing rain/sleet, and where it was all snow. The far northwestern corner of Perry County got several inches of snow instead of the ice. Closer to the Ohio River, generally a light coating up to 0.2 inches of ice was measured through mid morning, before temperatures rose above freezing.

In an unseasonably warm airmass, thunderstorms formed along a cold front moving into Ohio from the west on the afternoon of the 5th. These storms were aided by a strong upper level system, with fast flow above the surface. These storms gradually weakened as they moved into Southeastern Ohio during the late evening, however with the strong low level jet, some of the storms were still able to produce tree and power line damage.||As the cold front moved through that night, continued training of showers and storms resulted in 2.5 to 3.5 inches of rainfall. Up to an additional half inch of rain fell during the late morning and afternoon of the 6th. Flash flooding occurred during the predawn on the 6th. As that water drained through the system, areal flooding lingered into the early morning hours on the 9th.

A cold front whipped through during the evening with just light showers and some graupel. The front was associated with a strong flow aloft and falling temperatures. ||Wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph were common during the late afternoon into the evening.||There were no injuries. Minor damage and power outages occurred. Fallen trees, tree limbs, and blown debris partially blocked roads. A tall pine tree fell and smashed a car in Gallipolis. The most power outages were in Washington County where over 1800 customers were affected. Jackson County had nearly 900 customers affected, with around 600 without power in Athens and Meigs Counties.

A strengthening low pressure system tracked east into northern Ohio and the Lake Erie vicinity by the early evening. Temperatures had peaked in the mid and upper 60s during the early and mid afternoon. The powerful cold front, associated with the storm system, streaked through between 1800E and 2100E. Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph occurred with the showers associated with the front. The airport near Athens measured a gust to 43 mph. As colder air moved in, winds continued overnight, but gusts were not as strong.||A few trees fell causing power outages. Roughly 1,000 customers were without electricity.

A warm front lifted north through southeast Ohio on the 3rd with a quarter to a half inch of rain. Late afternoon and evening temperatures rose into the 40s and 50s. Winds and dew points also increased. This combination helped accelerate the melting of the leftover snow pack.||Rains increased again overnight, with 1 to 1.7 inches of rain falling by dawn on the 4th in mainly north of the Hocking River Valley. An automatic gauge near Lower Salem in Washington County measured 1.69 inches. Beverly had 1.48 inches of rain through dawn. This caused small stream flooding to begin.||Small stream flooding became more common along the Ohio River counties as a steady rain fell. Rain rates were mostly 1 to 2 tenths of an inch per hour. Total rainfall of 1.5 to 2 inches became common by that evening.||As the small stream flooding continued, the rain changed to sleet and wet snow during the late afternoon and early evening of the 4th. Heavy wet snow quickly accumulated along the Ohio River counties during the late evening on the 4th and into the morning hours of Thursday the 5th. As the heavy snow was falling, several high water signs and barricades were stolen across Lawrence County. Further north, the snow was lighter over Morgan and Perry Counties.||The snow diminished by early afternoon of the 5th. A total snow accumulation of 10 to 13 inches was common from Jackson and Lawrence Counties on up the Ohio River to Washington County. For example, Waterloo of northern Lawrence County measured a 13 inch accumulation. The snow depth at Gallipolis also went from zero to 13 inches during the storm. Marietta reported a snow accumulation of a foot. Further north snow accumulations were mostly 4 to 8 inches across Morgan, and 3 to 5 inches in Perry County. An unofficial report of 17 inches was received north of Waterloo near the border with Gallia County. A spotter in Thurman of Gallia County measured 14 inches of snow.||After transitioning from rain to snow, the wet snow accumulated on trees, especially evergreen trees. Prolonged power outages were common in the counties adjacent to the Ohio River. ||After the storm, clearing resulted in a cold dawn on the 6th for so late in the season. The coldest minimum temperatures was 8 below zero at New Lexington of Perry County. Waterloo of Lawrence County had 6 below zero, while Jackson had minus 3. Near the Ohio River readings were closer to zero degrees. Newport in Washington County was 2 below zero. ||Eventually, the Ohio River had minor flooding from Gallia County on down the river through Ironton on the 6th into the 7th. Overall, both the stream and river flooding mainly blocked roads with little damage to structures.

In less than a week, a second arctic front swept through southeast Ohio during the late morning hours of the 18th. Snow showers formed ahead of the front, with a few bands lingering during the afternoon in its wake. Snow accumulations of 2 to 3 inches were common in Jackson, Vinton, Athens, Perry, and Morgan Counties, with less toward the Ohio River. ||Temperatures dropped into the zero to 5 below range by dawn on the 19th. Despite sunshine through icy low clouds, daytime readings only recovered into the 5 to 10 degree range. Wind chill readings of minus 10 to minus 20 were felt on the 19th. ||The diminishing winds and a clear sky developed first over southern counties then moved north during the overnight hours of the 19th into the 20th. With a fresh snow pack, temperatures dropped well below zero for dawn on Friday, the 20th. The coldest official temperature in southeast Ohio was 26 degrees below zero at Waterloo of Lawrence County. Readings of minus 15 to minus 20 were more common. New Lexington had minus 17, South Point observed minus 15, Gallipolis had minus 13, and Jackson felt minus 12. Unofficially, the Athens airport near Albany had minus 20 and the Scalia Lab at Ohio University dropped to minus 18. The general public reported minus 20 in McArthur and around Kitts Hill. | |In several counties, the morning of Friday the 20th was the coldest since the cold waves of February 1996 and January 1994.||A power outage on the 20th affected about 2,000 customers in Lawrence County. It caused a pump at a water utility to fail. About 800 customers in the Proctorville and Scottown vicinity lost their water service.

As a strengthening low pressure system lifted north through the Great Lakes into Ontario, strong winds aloft mixed down to the ground during the late morning and early afternoon. Surface temperatures were still in the 60s with partial sunshine. The cold air advection aloft aided in the downward momentum transfer.||Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph were common. Electricity was temporarily out, mostly due to weak tree limbs falling on overhead lines. The most power outages were in Perry County where 5,900 customers were affected. In Athens County, over 4,000 customers were affected.

An arctic cold front sweep through southeast Ohio just after midnight on Monday the 6th. Rain showers and temperatures in the 40s quickly became snow showers with temperatures falling through the 20s by the predawn hours.||During these predawn hours, an Athens County woman with mental health issues went outside in Knollwood Trailer Park. This mobile home park was located just southwest of the city of Athens. She apparently slipped and fell a few times on driveways. Detectives concluded she staggered and collapsed in a yard. She was not found until after daybreak and likely died of exposure.||Snow accumulations across southeast Ohio were less than 2 inches. Temperatures continued to fall during the day on the 6th, with blustery winds. Readings reached down to either side of zero by sunset. ||Temperatures at dawn on the 7th were mostly 5 below zero to 10 below zero. Wind chill readings bottomed out around minus 25 degrees overnight and into the morning hours.||Despite sunshine, temperatures were slow to rise during the day on the 7th. However, the wind did subside during the mid and late afternoon.||A scattering of frozen pipes, power outages, home furnace difficulties, and vehicular engine problems occurred during the cold wave. Repair companies were kept busy. School systems were closed.

On the second day of a developing heat wave, under a sunny sky, afternoon temperatures reached the upper 90s to above 100 degrees across most of southeast Ohio. For example, Waterloo in Lawrence County reached 104 degrees that Friday afternoon. Marietta had 100 degrees. Meanwhile, an area of multi-cellular convection had moved out of northern Illinois that morning. It continued to organize and strengthen, as it propagated east and southeast across northern Indiana into western Ohio during the afternoon. As it moved toward southeast Ohio, it had already formed into a large arch of storms, or bow, with a developing cool pool in its wake. The temperature contrast between the air ahead of the developing derecho, compared to that in its wake was reaching 30 to 35 degrees. The resultant wind shift in the cool pool resulted in strong moisture convergence on the leading edge of the complex. This in turn, helped drive the storms further southeast, away from the mid and upper level wind support. However, the complex was diving right into that hot air that had obtained large convective available potential energy (CAPE), on the order of 4000 to 5000 j/kg. ||The derecho reached southeast Ohio near the hottest time of the day, after 1600E. It was racing southeast around 65 mph. The outflow or gust front began to outrace the rain as it moved into southeast Ohio. As the system matured, the strong gusts were longer in duration, in some cases around 10 minutes. That gust front then crossed the Ohio River into northeast Kentucky and western West Virginia on either side of 1730E. The storms and showers only provided about a quarter to a half inch of rain. ||Widespread wind gusts of 60 to 85 mph were likely with the leading gust front across southeast Ohio. A department of highways garage in Perry County measured 62 mph at 1650E. Ohio University at Athens measured 64 mph at 1712E. The airport near Albany of Athens County had a gust to 59 mph at 1715E. The department of highways garage in Gallia County near Kerr had 62 mph at 1731E.||The wind caused trees and large branches to fall in scattered locations throughout the 9 counties in southeast Ohio. There was some structural damage. Corrugated metal and siding were ripped off a few buildings. Trees fell onto houses and vehicles. Out of the 9 counties only 4 counties reported individual damage to the state. Those counties were Athens, Jackson, Lawrence and Meigs. The fallen trees and power lines also caused roads to be temporarily blocked. However, the largest impact was on the electric power grid. Prolonged power outages occurred. Some areas were without electricity for 4 to 7 days. ||Luckily there were no direct deaths or injuries. One indirect death can be attributed to the storm. ||The lack of electricity in the midst of the heat wave, disrupted the daily routines of most citizens for several days. Water and ice were in high demand. An emergency declaration by President Obama allowed federal supplies to be quickly delivered. Family and retail refrigerated food lost was substantial. Rural citizens with private wells may have been hit harder than those living in towns on public water systems. Citizens that relied on well water had no power to pump the water from their wells. Water had to be hauled just to flush the toilet. Some people slept outside on porches where it was cooler. With limited gas stations available to pump gas, long lines developed for a few days in the wake of the storm. Workers trying to restore the electricity had to take frequent breaks due to the heat and the safety equipment they had to wear.||Due to the public damage, a federal major disaster was eventually declared for this episode. A few others episodes during the first few days of July were also included. See FEMA disaster number 4077 for more details.

Prior to this episode, arctic air was in place near the ground. Moisture increased rapidly during the late afternoon on Friday the 20th. Strong warm air advection caused a mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain to reach the ground during the evening hours. Except for Perry County, the mixture became mostly freezing rain during the late evening hours. Temperatures were in the mid and upper 20s. After a brief lull, the bulk of the freezing rain accumulation occurred after midnight, early on the 21st. The freezing rain diminished by dawn. ||A quarter inch of ice accumulated from the freezing rain in Vinton, Athens, Washington and Morgan Counties. A quarter to a half inch of ice was seen in portions of Perry County. Power outages were most common in Athens County, where over 2500 customers lost electricity. A few hundred customers lost electricity in Vinton County.||The ice accumulation was less in Jackson, Meigs, and Gallia Counties, mostly around a tenth of an inch.

A strong low pressure center tracked from Missouri to Michigan. Meanwhile, its associated upper level trough pushed a cold front through southeast Ohio just before sunset. A fast moving band of rain, along and immediately ahead of the front, featured a narrow line of embedded showers. These convective showers helped mix down the winds that were located at 4 to 6 thousand feet above the ground. Surface wind gusts of 55 to 65 mph were common.||Later that night, wind gusts near 60 mph occurred, as the colder air poured in.||Power outages were common throughout southeast Ohio, as tree branches fell onto power lines. One major utility company reported the electricity remained out until late on the 13th or early on the 14th for some of its customers in southeast Ohio.

Snow moved up the Ohio River Valley and overspread southeast Ohio shortly after midnight on Tuesday the 27th. The snow quickly accumulated 4 to 6 inches across Jackson, Lawrence, Gallia, and Meigs by mid morning, with 2 to 4 inches common further north. ||The snow became lighter by early afternoon. The snow transitioned to freezing rain from south to north, reaching Perry County by 1900E on the 27th. The intensity of the freezing rain increased for the evening hours, with temperatures still in the upper 20s. Ice accumulations of a quarter to a half inch were widespread. The intensity of the freezing rain decreased during the predawn hours of the 28th. Once the low pressure center lifted northeast through West Virginia, the storm ended as a quick burst of snow, during the daylight hours. This added a coating of snow on top of the ice.||Damage to structures was minimal. The main problem was the loss of electricity due to tree limbs falling across power lines. Over 25,000 customers had no power. Some rural areas were without electricity for 4 days. One electric company official said it was the worst ice storm in his area in over 15 years. A few shelters were open for people without heat, but only a handfull of residents stayed. Law enforcement and fire departments conducted wellness checks and assisted where needed.

By mid and late afternoon on Sunday, the 14th, the remnants of Hurricane Ike had raced northeast through Indiana and into northwest Ohio. It was merging with a frontal system in the Ohio Valley. A strong west to east temperature gradient existed. Readings were in the lower 90s across the western lowlands of West Virginia, while 60s and lower 70s were observed in Indiana. Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph occurred across southeast Ohio in the late afternoon and early evening. Power outages were reported. In Perry County, roads were blocked by fallen trees and minor roof damage occurred. ||Stronger wind gusts had occurred further to the west, across central and western Ohio. Due to the large area affected in Ohio, parts of Perry County were without electricity for 5 days.

In the wake of a strong cold front, associated with a strengthening low pressure system, wind gusts of 45 to 60 mph were widespread. A gust to 58 mph was measured at Ohio University in Athens. In Jackson, a gust to 54 mph was measured. A gust to 54 mph was also recorded in Thornville of Perry County. |Damage was mostly from fallen tree branches, such as power outages, and houses struck. Also, roads were temporarily blocked. A small plane flipped over at the Vinton County Airport, after 2 of its tie-downs snapped.

A large thunderstorm complex formed in northwest Ohio in the heat and humidity. A bow echo formed as it dropped through southeastern Ohio. Numerous trees and large branches fell to the ground. Power outages were associated with the downed trees.

A mixture of snow and sleet started around 0400E on the 22nd. Yet, the mixture changed quickly to freezing rain. A quarter to a half inch of ice accumulated from freezing rain during the morning. Later that afternoon and evening, the precipitation ended as 1 to 2 inches of snow showers. The Athens County engineer said, "I had one of the most problematic mornings I've ever had in my 25 years at the engineer office." One county dump truck slipped into a ditch while treating roads. For a time, the county road crews pulled over to wait for better traction. No power outages were reported.

Wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph caused scattered wind damage, mainly branches falling on power lines. The gusts were associated with weakening showers along a cold front.

Snow and sleet spread north through southeast Ohio during Sunday afternoon, the 25th. The snow and sleet accumulations ranged from 1 to 2 inches in Lawrence and Gallia Counties, to as much as 3 to 5 inches across Washington, Morgan, Athens, Vinton, and Perry Counties. The snow and sleet changed to freezing rain during the late afternoon and evening. Ice accumulated a quarter to a half inch from the freezing rain. No major power outages occurred.

A strong cold front blew through southeast Ohio. A narrow and brief line of showers was associated with the front. Winds gusted into the 45 to 70 mph range. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. In Somerset of Perry County, 40 foot trees were snapped in half. Law enforcement in Meigs County reported damage to barns, also a few windows were blown out of buildings.

A strenthening low pressure storm lifted northeast from Kentucky into northeastern Ohio during the daylight hours. South of the storm center, brief wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph occurred as the associated cold front swept across southeast Ohio during the early afternoon. Ohio University at Athens measured a gust to 45 mph. Around 1330E, a concrete block wall, about 20 feet high and aligned perpendicular to the wind, was blown over in Athens. It was at a Walmart construction site. Luckily, nobody was hurt. Scattered power outages occurred as large branches or trees came down. Athens County reported 5,900 customers lost electric power.

Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph were common in the wake of a strong cold frontal passage. However, a few stronger gusts were seen in Washington County, with some speeds reaching near 60 mph. One house in Belpre and one in Reno sustained severe roof damage. A spokesman for the electric company reported scattered power outages throughout southeast Ohio due to downed trees. Temperatures went from the mid 50s ahead of the front, to the mid 20s by dawn, a time span of about 6 hours.