Power Outage in Kent, OH

An Arctic cold front swept through the area around 3 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 light to moderate snow occurred behind the frontal passage and into the morning hours of December 23rd before beginning to taper. 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.The Portage County Airport in Ravenna measured a peak wind gust of 43 MPH at 10:15 PM on December 23rd. A mesonet station in Rootstown also measured a 43 MPH wind gust at 10:37 AM. Surrounding airports measured stronger gusts, including a 51 MPH gust at 5:27 AM at Akron Fulton Airport and a 51 MPH gust at 2:32 PM at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport. 1600 customers lost power at the peak of the storm. 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 a few accidents resulting in minor injury. Wind chills plunged below 0 around 6 AM December 23rd and did not warm above 0 until early in the morning December 26th. A minimum wind chill of -30 degrees was reported at the Portage County Airport at 5:35 PM December 23rd. A warming center was opened in Ravenna in response to these conditions. A number of burst pipes were reported across northern Ohio due to this cold, with temperatures remaining in the single digits until Christmas morning. The highest measured snowfall from the storm in the county was 3���, measured by a trained spotter in Hiram and a CoCoRaHS observer in Mantua. Trained spotters also measured 2.5��� in Kent and 2.0��� in Mogadore. A CoCoRaHS observer also measured 1.5��� of snow near Ravenna.

Numerous trees and power lines downed in Hiram and Nelson Townships.

OH-303 closed between OH-82 and OH-88 due to downed power lines in Windham 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. Schools and several businesses closed on December 1 and 2 due to the weather conditions. In Portage County, snowfall totals ranged from 5 to 17 inches of snow for the event. A peak total of 17 inches of snow was observed in Hiram. Other selected snowfall totals include: 15.8 inches in Mantua, 12.5 inches in Aurora, 9.8 inches in Streetsboro, 7.4 inches in Kent, and 4.8 inches in Mogadore.

Route 88 closed between Ravenna and Freedom Township due to downed trees and power lines. Location approximated.

Fox 8 Cleveland reported 813 customers without power in Portage County due to high winds. Time estimated.

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

A large tree branch was blown down on a power line causing a fire.

Several trees and power lines were blown down.

Trees and power lines were downed across the area, including in Aurora and Kent. A bank sign was blown over in Rootstown. Scattered power outages were reported in the county.

Thunderstorm downburst winds in excess of 100 mph caused extensive damage across northern Portage County. A 105 mph wind gust was measured by an automated sensor in Aurora. Damages stretched from the county line west of Aurora across the northern tier of townships to the eastern end of the county. The damage was most concentrated in Aurora and adjacent Mantua Township. Thousands of trees were downed across the county. Many homes lost roofing or siding and several others were damaged by fallen trees. Many vehicles were reported damaged by flying debris or from fallen trees or limbs. Widespread power outages occurred with full restoration taking around five days. Bleachers at an athletic field at Aurora High School were overturned and destroyed. Several school districts in Portage County were closed on November 6th and some on the 7th because of power outages. Clean up from the storms took weeks.

Thunderstorm downburst winds in excess of 100 mph caused extensive damage across northern Portage County. A 105 mph wind gust was measured by an automated sensor in Aurora. Damages stretched from the county line west of Aurora across the northern tier of townships to the eastern end of the county. The damage was most concentrated in Aurora and adjacent Mantua Township. Thousands of trees were downed across the county. Many homes lost roofing or siding and several others were damaged by fallen trees. Many vehicles were reported damaged by flying debris or from fallen trees or limbs. Widespread power outages occurred with full restoration taking around five days. Bleachers at an athletic field at Aurora High School were overturned and destroyed. Several school districts in Portage County were closed on November 6th and some on the 7th because of power outages. Clean up from the storms took weeks.

Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees in the Kent area. Some power outages were also reported.

An area of low pressure moved from the Gulf Coast up the west side of the Appalachians and across western Pennsylvania on February 15th and 16th bringing the first heavy synoptic snow of the season to northeastern Ohio. The snow spread into southern Mahoning County during the early evening and by midnight had reached Ashtabula County. The snow intensified overnight as the low approached Pittsburgh with a heavy wet snow falling in an arc from Canton to Youngstown and continuing into northwest Pennsylvania. Visibilities from late evening on the 15th through daybreak on the 16th were less than a mile and at times less than one half mile. The snow quickly ended from west to east during the late morning hours. More than six inches of snow fell east of a line from Portage County to central Ashtabula County. The peak total in the county was 8 inches at Diamond. Numerous accidents were reported during this event along with a few power outages. Many schools were closed on the 16th.

High winds of at least 60 mph downed trees and limbs throughout Portage County. Several power poles were knocked down along State Route 44 north of Ravenna and along State Route 88 near Garretsville. Scattered power outages were reported.

A four to six hour period of freezing rain occurred in Portage County. Between a quarter and a third of an inch of ice accumulation was reported in the county. The ice accumulated mainly on trees and grassy surfaces. Some trees and limbs were toppled by the ice and there were also a few reports of power outages. A few accidents were reported.

High winds across Portage County downed dozens of trees and large limbs. Over 2,000 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 few trees and power lines were downed across the county.

High winds downed many trees and large limbs across Portage County. A home in Kent sustained major damage after a large tree crushed one end of the house. Other homes in the county sustained lesser damages, mainly from lost siding or roofing. Scattered power outages were reported.

A mixture of freezing rain and sleet fell on Portage 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 Portage 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 poles in Portage 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 Portage County during the overnight hours into February 12th. West to southwest winds gusted to more than 60 mph behind the front. Winds finally diminished a few hours before daybreak on the 12th. There were a few trees reported down across the area, but there were numerous reports of power lines down. Approximately 2,200 customers in the county were without power Thursday morning. The hardest hit areas were in Rootstown and Ravenna Township. Power was restored to all customers by Friday morning, February 13th.

Snow began during the evening hours of the 27th, and continued overnight and through the morning of the 28th. The snow finally tapered off during the evening of the 28th. During the morning hours, the snow mixed with and changed to freezing rain and sleet, especially across southern portions of the county. The mixed precipitation lasted for several hours before colder air moved back into the area changing any of the mixed precipitation back to snow. Snowfall accumulations were in the 7.0 to 11.0 inch range, and around a quarter of an inch of ice was reported. Fortunately, there were no major incidents with the freezing rain and sleet such as widespread power outages and downed trees. Trained spotters measured 11.0 inches in Hiram, 8.3 inches in Kent, and 7.7 inches in Ravenna. West to northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph with occasional gusts in excess of 30 mph accompanied the precipitation. Widespread blowing and drifting was reported with drifts in some areas a couple feet deep. Travel was severely hampered during this event and many accidents were reported.

Precipitation began during the overnight hours of the 19th as mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain across the area. Snow was mainly across northern portions of the county while sleet and freezing rain were initially predominate over southern areas. Precipitation quickly changed over to mainly freezing rain prior to daybreak, and a quarter inch of ice was reported by trained spotters. Temperatures during the event were a only a few degrees below freezing, and quickly warmed up above freezing after sunrise allowing a changeover to all rain. A few accidents were reported across the area, but no significant 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 6 and 8 pm. Damage in the county was extensive with thousands of trees and many utility poles downed. Two firefighters were injured while cleaning up downed trees and limbs near Windham. The firefighters both sustained minor injuries after they were struck by a falling limb. 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. Schools and government offices in Portage County were forced to close on Monday the 15th because of the power outages.

Freezing rain began in Portage County during the early morning hours of March 4th. This activity continued through late afternoon when temperatures warmed enough for a transition to rain. Conditions quickly deteriorated after sunset as surface temperatures dropped off a few degrees and the rain changed back to freezing rain. Over a quarter inch of ice accumulation was reported on roads and sidewalks by early evening. By the time the freezing rain changed to a mixture of light snow and sleet around midnight on the 5th, as much as one half inch of ice had accumulated on portions of the county. Scattered power outages occurred, especially across the northern half of the county as a result of the freezing rain. Trees and limbs were reported down throughout the county as well. Many accidents were reported during this event.

Snow spread into Portage County around midnight on February 12th and continued through the late afternoon hours of the 12th. At that time, the precipitation transitioned to freezing rain. The freezing rain ended 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. A cooperative observer in Ravenna recorded 6.0 inches of snow along with some freezing rain.

Power lines were reported down throughout the county.

Trees, large limbs, and power poles were reported down across the county.

Trees and power lines were reported down across the county.

Freezing rain spread into Portage 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 line of severe thunderstorms moved across Portage County and downed hundreds of trees and caused widespread power outages. A spotter measured a 63 mph gust in Ravenna. The southern half of the county, including the Ravenna and Kent areas saw the most extensive damage. Around 100 homes sustained damaged with one mobile home destroyed by fallen trees. Many vehicles were also reported damaged. Several roads had to be closed because of the extensive tree damage. At the peak of the storm, over 7,000 customers were without power.

Thunderstorm winds downed many trees across the county. Up to 9,000 electric customers lost power during the storm.

Thunderstorm winds downed several power poles in Edinburg Township.

Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power poles near Aurora, Mantua, Brimfield, Hiram, Garrettsville and Nelson. A barn was blown down near Nelson. Several vehicles were damaged by fallen trees.

Thunderstorm winds downed over 25 trees and four power poles. One of the trees fell on a house and caused some roof damage.

A thunderstorm downburst with winds estimated at 85 to 95 mph hit the west side of Kent. The area affected by the downburst was one quarter wide mile and approximately a mile in length. Several hundred trees and 40 power poles were downed. A total of 25 homes were damaged including four that were declared unhabitable. In addition, a camper and over a dozen automobiles were crushed by fallen trees. Widespread power outages occurred and a state of emergency was put in effect because of the widespread and severe damage.

Thunderstorm winds snapped two power poles just north of Brimfield on Highway 43. Several trees were also downed in Kent.