Power Outage in Chesterland, 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 behind the front into the morning hours of December 23rd with the snow trending 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 gusted over 35 MPH through the day. A mesonet station in Auburn measured a 42 MPH peak wind gust at 12:20 AM December 24th. Nearby airports in surrounding counties measured stronger peak gusts on December 23rd, with a gust of 51 MPH at 6:41 AM at Ashtabula County airport, a 49 MPH gust at 6:45 PM at Cuyahoga County airport, and a 51 MPH gust at 9:15 AM at Lost Nation Airport in Willoughby. 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. Wind chills plunged below 0 around 6 AM December 23rd and did not warm above 0 degrees until the early morning hours December 26th. Mesonet stations recorded minimum wind chills on December 23rd of -33 degrees in Munson Township, -30 in Bainbridge and -29 in Chardon. A number of burst pipes were reported across northern Ohio due to this cold, with temperatures remaining in the single digits until Christmas morning. A trained spotter in Thompson Township measured 6.5��� of snow with this storm. Other select totals from spotters include 4.0��� in Burton and Chardon and 3.3��� near Auburn Township.

A wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain developed during the late afternoon hours on February 17th and continued for several hours into the evening before changing to snow. Snow continued steadily through much of the night before tapering to more intermittent lake effect snow showers through the morning hours of February 18th. Winds gusted up to 35 MPH at times. Ice accumulations of 0.10 to 0.20��� occurred, which resulted in some downed tree limbs and power-outages when combined with the gusty winds. Poor travel conditions and auto accidents were reported. A trained spotter measured 6.2��� of snow in Thompson with this storm. Spotters also reported 5��� in Chardon and 4.7��� in Auburn.

Power lines down at 133 Main Street in Chardon. Tree down on wires on Taylor Wells Road in Claridon Township.

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. Tree damage was extreme across Geauga County and up to 25,000 customers were without power by the late morning of December 1 due to trees falling onto power lines. Power was not restored to most residences for several days. Schools and several businesses closed on December 1 and 2 due to the weather conditions and some for the rest of the week due to power issues. In Geauga County, snowfall totals ranged from 15 to 26 inches of snow for the event. A peak total of 26.3 inches of snow was observed in Hambden Township. Other selected snowfall totals include: 24.8 inches in Chardon, 24.4 inches in Thompson Township, 22.2 inches in Burton, 20.5 inches in Montville, 17 inches in Middlefield, and 15.7 inches in South Russell.

Power pole snapped at 13635 Hall Road in Chardon.

Tree down onto power lines in Chardon. Another tree down at 11291 Claridon Troy Road in Aquilla. Yet another tree down on house along Kile Road in Hambden Township. House suffered a hole in its roof.

High wind gusts of at least 60 mph downed trees, large limbs and power lines throughout the county. Scattered power outages were reported.

Wind damage was reported in portions of Geauga County due to 50 to 60 mph wind gusts. Trees and power lines were noted down in Burton and Russell Township.

Wind damage was reported in portions of Geauga County due to 50 to 60 mph wind gusts. Trees and power lines were noted down in portions of Newbury, Troy, and Munson Townships. A tree fell into a house in Russell Township. A tree fell onto a police car in Chester Township.

There were several power lines blown down.

Trees and power lines were downed across the area, including in Chardon, Middlefield, Bainbridge Township, and Hambden Township. A tree fell into a home in Chardon and several structures with roof damage were noted in Hambden Township. Several thousand were without power in the county into the 25th.

Trees and power lines were reported down in northern Geauga county, including in the Chesterland and Chardon Township areas. One downed tree blocked Woodin Road for some time.

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. A peak total of 11.0 inches was reported in Geauga County to the north of Chardon. Other totals from Geauga County included 9.2 inches in Montville Township, 9.0 in Chardon and 6.0 inches at both Burton and Thompson. Many accidents were reported.

Thunderstorm downburst winds tore the roof off of a commercial building in Chesterland. A few trees and large limbs in the area were also knocked down resulting in scattered power outages.

High winds downed trees and limbs throughout Geuaga County. Scattered power outages were reported. A moving vehicle was struck by a falling tree limb in Claridon Township. The car was heavily damaged but the driver was uninjured.

The County Sheriffs office reported a tree down on a car on Reynolds Road and Parkman. Widespread tree and power line damage was reported across Geauga County with the most notable damage in Middlefield.

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

Mixed precipitation spread across the area early on the 12th and then transitioned to snow from west to east. Much of the area also saw a period of freezing rain. The snow increased in intensity during the late morning hours with visibilities less than one half mile. North to northeast winds increased as the low passed to the south of the area. Winds gusted to more than 40 mph during the early afternoon hours. Winds continued to gust to more than 30 mph through the evening hours. The strong winds combined with the snow to create significant blowing and drifting and very treacherous driving conditions. Snowfall totals of 6 to 8 inches were reported along with a glaze of ice in many areas. Schools across most of northern Ohio were closed on the 12th and the evening commute was very difficult. Dozens of accidents and a some power outages were reported.

Unseasonably cold air moving across warm Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the evening of October 23rd. The snow briefly tapered off during the middle portion of the 24th and then picked up again during the afternoon. The snow finally ended for good during the early morning hours of 25th. The trees across the region still had leaves and the snow caused considerable damage. Hundreds of trees and limbs were downed resulting in many power outages. Accumulations of 4 to 8 inches were reported in Geauga County. During the peak of the event, thunder and lightning were reported and snow rates approached two inches per hour. The greatest accumulations were reported in Russell and Chesterland Townships of Geauga County. For much of the area, this was the first time during the Fall that temperatures had fallen to freezing. Nearly 50,000 electric customers lost power during this event. In Geauga County the outages were most concentrated in Russell and Chester Townships but outages were also reported in Newburn, Auburn and Munson Townships. It took till October 26th for the power to be fully restored. Many accidents resulted from this early season snow and travel was a problem in some areas.

Winds gusted to more than 60 mph in Geauga County causing significant damage. Many trees and utility poles were downed. Up to 5,000 electric customers lost power during this event. There were reports of trees down on homes and vehicles. Some homes also lost sections of roofing and siding. A few roads had to be closed because of downed trees and limbs.

A few trees, large limbs and power lines were downed.

An area of low pressure tracked slowly east across the Ohio Valley on February 20th and 21st. A warm front stretching east from this low moved north into northern Ohio on the 20th and caused freezing rain to develop from west to east during the evening hours. The freezing rain continued for several hours and then ended just before daybreak on the 21st. Ice accumulations of between one quarter and one third of an inch were reported in Geauga County. At the peak of the storm, over 80,000 people were without power in northern Ohio. It took nearly a full day for the power outages to be completely restored. Many schools not already closed for the President's Day Holiday either canceled or delayed classes on the 21st.

Three waves of wintry precipitation were associated with this storm across northern Ohio. Snow began in Geauga County around midnight on February 1st. A four to six hour period of moderate to heavy snow occurred with accumulations of 4 to 6 inches. Most of the daylight hours of the 1st were quiet with just some light snow and patchy freezing drizzle reported. The second wave of precipitation began during the late afternoon and evening hours. Most of this was mixed freezing rain and sleet. Ice accumulations of over a quarter inch along with an inch or more of sleet accumulation occurred. This mixture coated area roads and streets and resulted in treacherous travel. A few power outages were reported on 2nd. Wrap around snow behind the low affected northern Ohio during the daylight hours of the 2nd. Much of the area saw between one and three inches of snow. Many schools were closed on the 1st and 2nd.

High winds downed trees and power lines throughout Geauga County.

A strong cold front moved across Geauga County during the early afternoon hours of December 9th. A cluster of showers developed in advance of this front and produced brief wind gusts in excess of 50 mph. 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 Geauga County. Scattered power outages were reported. Some homes and buildings in the county sustained minor damage. Much of this damage was associated with the showers that moved through early in the afternoon.

A strong cold front moved across Geauga County during the evening of February 11th. West to southwest winds gusted to more than 60 mph behind the front. A 61 mph wind gust was measured at Chardon early on the 12th. Winds finally diminished just 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.

Precipitation began as a mixture of snow and sleet across the area during the overnight hours of the 19th. Snowfall amounts in the area during the onset of the precipitation ranged from just a few tenths to as much as two inches. Gradually, the precipitation changed over to sleet and freezing rain, then freezing rain prior to daybreak. Trained spotters in the area measured between a quarter and a half an inch of ice. Shortly after sunrise temperatures warmed up above freezing allowing a changeover to all rain. Impacts across the area were minimal due to temperatures only a few degrees below freezing initially, then warming above freezing around mid-morning. There were some accidents in the area, and also some power outages.

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 7 and 9 pm. 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. Many schools in the county were forced to close on Monday the 15th because of the power outages.

A mixture of sleet and snow began in Geauga County before daybreak on March 4th. This mixture changed to freezing rain by midday and then continued into the early morning hours of March 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. By the time the freezing rain changed to light snow during the early morning hours of the 5th, between one half and three quarters of an inch of ice had accumulated on parts of the county. Thunder and lightning were reported between 7 and 9 pm. The snow tapered to flurries during the morning hours of the 5th after an inch or two of accumulation. Scattered power outages occurred across the county as a result of the freezing rain. Some electric customers in the county were without power for as much as three days. Extensive tree damage was reported in the county as well. Many accidents were reported during this event.

Numerous power lines were reported down across the county.

Trees and power lines were reported down.

Trees and power lines were reported down.

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

Several trees and power lines reported down across the county.

Several trees were reported down, along with power lines.

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Geauga County and downed hundreds of trees and caused widespread power outages. The Chagrin Falls area was especially hard hit. One mobile home was destroyed by fallen trees with many other homes and vehicles in the county also heavily damaged.

A strong cold front moving across the area developed isolated strong to severe thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts. There were a few reports of trees blown down as well as several power lines blown down across northern Ohio.