Power Outage in Mansfield, OH

Trees and power poles downed, roof blown off township hall, half of roof blown off separate building, and damage to porches of homes in Madison Township (i.e. about three-miles ENE of Mansfield).

An Arctic cold front swept through the area shortly before 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 Mansfield Lahm Regional airport a peak gust of 45 MPH was measured 3 times between 7:22 AM and 1:33 PM December 23rd. 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, with several of these accidents resulting in at least minor injury. Local news media reported that the number of disabled vehicles put a strain on emergency services on December 23rd. The Richland 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 5 AM December 23rd and did not rise above 0 until the morning of December 26th. A minimum wind chill of -36F was reported at Mansfield Airport at 11:52 AM December 23rd. 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 Shelby measured 6.0��� of snow from this storm, with 2.9��� measured at Mansfield Lahm Airport. Other select reports include a CoCoRaHS observer measuring 4.0��� of snow near Charles Mill Lake east of Mansfield, with another CoCoRaHS observer measuring 3.5��� of snow near Lexington. A trained spotter measured 3��� of snow just west of downtown Mansfield.

Power pole fell onto a delivery truck about two-miles southwest of Mansfield. Farther downstream (i.e. about two-miles SSW of Mansfield), a large tree fell onto a house and punctured its roof.

Power poles and wires down one mile SSE of Mansfield.

Wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph downed trees, large limbs and power lines throughout the county. Scattered power outages were also reported. A peak wind gust of 66 mph was recorded on an automated wind sensor at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport.

Several trees and power lines were blown down.

Several power lines were blown down onto a road.

Several trees and power lines were blown down. This report was from a picture from Twitter.

Several trees and power lines were blown down. A picture of the wind damage was from Twitter and time was estimated by radar.

Several trees and power lines were blown down south of Shelby.

Mansfield Lahm Airport reported a 60 mph wind gust at 10:37 am local time. Several trees and power lines were reported down across the area, including Mansfield and Lucas. Scattered power outages were reported in the area.

Thunderstorm winds downed trees and limbs in Lexington and the surrounding area. At 1000 people lost power from the storms.

An EF2 tornado crossed into Richland County from Crawford County just to the south of Hook Road in rural Springfield Township. A home on Hook Road just west of Thrush Road sustained heavy damage. Half of the roof of the home was torn off and a bedroom on the southwest side of the house was destroyed. The attached garage on the northeast side of the house was also leveled. Two people inside the southwest corner bedroom were thrown approximately 50 feet and ended up outside in the yard. Both sustained minor injuries. An adjacent detached garage was also leveled. A riding lawnmower inside the adjacent garage was found 100 yards away in a field. The tornado then continued east along Hook Road for several miles causing tree and structural damage. A couple barns were damaged or destroyed and a few other buildings lost roofing or siding in this area. The tornado weakened to an EF1 as it crossed Horning Road. The tornado then continued across open land till it leveled yet another barn as it crossed State Route 314. The tornado strengthened again to EF2 intensity as it crossed Rock Road. One home on Stiving Road was destroyed when large trees landed on the roof of the home causing it to collapse. The house was also knocked off it foundation. Two adjacent homes also sustained damage and some outbuildings were destroyed. At least 5 vehicles at the three homes were destroyed or damage. The tornado continued east and weakened as it crossed State Route 39 just to the north of Cairns Road. The tornado finally lifted about a quarter mile east of Kline Road. Only minor tree damage was observed east of State Route 39. This tornado was on the ground in Richland County for around eight and half miles and had a damage path up to 200 yards in width. Hundreds of trees and many power poles were downed along the damage path.

Thunderstorm winds caused damage in Lexington and surrounding Troy Township. Several trees large trees and utility poles were downed. Scattered power outages were reported in the area.

An area of low pressure moved northeast across Ohio during the afternoon and evening hours of December 17th spreading rain across the area. As the low moved out over Lake Erie during the evening, a cold front moved east across northern Ohio. Enough cold air filtered into north central Ohio behind the front to cause the rain to change to freezing rain before it quit. This change occurred mainly west of the 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. Automated sensors at Mansfield Lahm Airport (Richland County) and the Marion County Airport reported over a half inch of freezing rain. Rainfall totals and ice accumulations quickly tapered off the further north and east you went from those sites. Further west, the rain ended before changing to freezing rain. Little or no freezing rain was reported west of the U.S. Highway 23 corridor. A few accidents and some power outages were reported during the event.

A deepening area of low pressure moved northeast across the Central Great Lakes on April 2nd. A cold front associated with the low swept east across northern Ohio early on 2nd. Strong west to northwest winds occurred behind the front. Winds gusted in excess of 40 mph much of the day. A peak gust of 59 mph was reported at Mansfield Lahm Airport (Richland County). Some power outages were reported.

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

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across the northern half of Richland County and caused widespread damage. The damage was especially bad in the Shelby area where dozens of trees were downed causing widespread power outages. At least four building sustained significant damage from either the strong winds or fallen trees. Dozens of other homes lost roofing or siding. Several barns to the east of Shelby were leveled. A lot of damage was also reported north of the Mansfield Airport in the Ganges Five Points area where at least four farm buildings were destroyed. A large sign was flattened at the intersection of State Route 13 and 96. Dozens of trees were downed elsewhere across northern Richland County.

An intense line of thunderstorms or Derecho moved across southern Richland 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 to half 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 Richland County was comparable to the remnants of Hurricane Ike in September 2008.

A wind gust of 62 mph was measured during this event. High winds downed a large tree onto a home in the area. Many homes sustained damage, mainly from lost roofing or siding. Over 1,000 homes and business in the county lost power.

A mixture of freezing rain and sleet fell on Richland 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 Richland County just before noon 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. A 55 mph gust was measured at Mansfield Lahm Airport at 3:18 pm. Winds continued to gust to as much as 50 mph through 10 pm. The high winds downed a few trees and utility poles in Richland 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 east across Richland County during the evening of February 11th. Damaging west to southwest winds developed behind the front late in the evening. A peak wind gust of 64 mph was measured by an automated sensor at Mansfield Lahm Airport at 1159 pm. Earlier in the evening, a 66 mph gust was measured at the airport when a line of showers and thunderstorms moved across the county. A gust of 63 mph was measured at 10:19 pm with a 60 mph gust measured at 11:13 pm. Winds finally diminished toward daybreak on the 12th. Ten cars of a moving train were derailed around 11:15 pm. This occurred about halfway between Shiloh and Shelby. No injuries occurred. The strong winds also overturned a semi truck on State Route 13 near Shenandoah around midnight. A second semi truck was overturned in a parking lot in Ontario. A lot of damage was reported across the county with hundreds of trees and power poles toppled. Thousands of people lost power during this event. At one time, more than 25,000 customers were without power in Richland and Ashland Counties. Hundreds of homes in the county sustained damage. Most of this damage was from lost shingles but many homes also lost gutters and sections of siding. A vacant school building in Epworth lost it's entire roof. A couple of the school districts in the county had to delay the start of school because of power outages.

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. While around a half an inch of freezing rain was measured by automated weather sensing equipment at Mansfield Lahm Airport, 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 66 mph was measured by an automated sensor at Mansfield Lahm Airport at 5:16 PM EDT. Damage in the county was extensive with thousands of trees and many utility poles downed. Widespread power outages occurred as well with as many as 15,000 utility customers without power at the peak of the storm. Some locations in southern Richland County were without power for as much as ten days. 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. 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. Richland County alone spent nearly $250,000 on clean up costs and emergency expenses. Many 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 and soy bean yields were reduced between 3 and 5 percent in many areas.

Freezing rain began 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 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 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. Officially, 1.10 inches of precipitation, most of it in the form of freezing rain, were reported at Mansfield Lahm Airport.

Snow spread into Richland 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. Officially, 3.4 inches of snow and 0.21 inches of freezing rain was recorded at Mansfield Lahm Airport.

Trees and power lines were reported down countywide.

Snow began in Richland County around midday on December 15th. The snow changed to sleet and freezing rain during the evening hours. The precipitation tapered off for a while, then picked up again during the early morning hours of the 16th. Around daybreak, the precipitation changed back to all snow with snow then continuing through the afternoon hours. Winds gusted to nearly 40 mph on the 16th which caused considerable blowing and drifting. Storm totals of at least six inches of snow were reported across most of the county. Up a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation was also reported. A total of 8.0 inches was measured at Mansfield Lahm Airport on the 15th and 16th. Numerous accidents were reported along with a few power outages.

Freezing rain spread into Richland 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.

Numerous trees and power lines were reported down across the county.

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Richland County and downed hundreds of trees. Scattered power outages were also reported. A 60 mph wind gust was measured at Mansfield Lahm Airport at 4:06 p.m. Some of the worst damage in the county occurred near Lexington where a campground had four buildings damaged and 500 trees downed. Around 250 trees were toppled in a park near the southeast end of Clear Fork Reservoir. A business near downtown Mansfield lost part of it's roof. Dozens of homes and buildings in the county were damaged by fallen trees and flying debris. Damage to vehicles was also reported throughout the county.

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Richland County and downed dozens of trees and large limbs. The Mansfield and Ontario areas were especially hard hit. A mobile home was damaged in Ontario. Scattered power outages were reported.

A deepening area of low pressure moved northeast across the Central Great Lakes on April 2nd. A cold front associated with the low swept east across northern Ohio early on 2nd. Strong west to northwest winds occurred behind the front. Winds gusted in excess of 40 mph much of the day. A peak gust of 59 mph was reported at Mansfield Lahm Airport (Richland County) with 56 mph gusts at the Findlay Airport (Hancock County) and Mount Vernon Airport (Knox County). A 54 mph wind gust was measured at the Marion County Airport. Some power outages were reported.

A Derecho developed over northern Indiana during the early afternoon hours of June 29th. This line of storms intensified as it moved across Central Ohio later in the afternoon. Extensive damage was reported in Hancock, Wyandot, Marion, Morrow and Knox Counties. Lesser amounts of damage were reported just to the north of these counties. The damage from this Derecho is comparable to the damage from the remnants of Hurricane Ike in 2008. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power for as long as a week. Power was not fully restored in Hancock County till July 6th. Thousands of trees and hundreds of utility poles were downed by this line of storms. Hundreds of homes and buildings were damaged by winds estimated to be more than 80 mph. A 84 mph wind gust was measured in Findlay. Automated sensors at area airports failed to record peak gusts because of power outages. Dozens of roads and street had to be closed because of fallen trees and power lines. Significant crop losses are also expected. Clean up costs were significant from this storm. Clean up efforts were hampered by an ongoing heat wave with afternoon temperatures as warm as 100 degrees.

Heavy rain and runoff from snowmelt caused widespread lowland flooding in Ashland, Knox, Morrow, Richland Counties during the first two-thirds of January. January 2005 was the wettest January ever at Mansfield Lahm Airport with 6.08 inches of precipitation during the month. Rainfall totals from Knox County included; 7.51 inches at Greer; 7.97 inches at Fredericktown; 8.28 inches at Danville and 9.99 inches at Centerburg all in Knox County. In addition to this rain, extensive snowpack existed over northern Ohio at the beginning of the month. Temperatures in the 50s the first three days of the month caused a rapid snowmelt and brought area streams and creeks to bankfull just in time for a significant winter storm on the 5th and 6th. Then, just as things began to return to normal, heavy rains fell on the area on the 11th, 12th and 13th causing conditions to once again worsen. Many streams and rivers in these counties left their banks and forced the closure of dozens of roads. Reservoirs in Ashland and Richland Counties established record high levels. The pool behind Charles Mills Dam reached it's highest level ever at 1,017 feet on January 16th. Swampy areas behind the dam flooded forcing the closure of U.S. Highway 42 between Ashland and Mansfield for 10 days. Water levels behind the Mohicanville Dam in eastern Ashland County came to within a couple feet of the all-time record. 8,800 acres behind the dam were flooded. Extensive flooding occurred along the Mohican River in Loudonville where four blocks were flooded. Mohawk Lake in eastern Knox County reached it's highest level ever and was up to 79 feet above normal. Homes in the Brinkhaven were affected by the Mohawk Lake flooding. Dozens of evacuations occurred during the middle of the month with most of them being in areas near the Charles Mills and Mohicanville Dams. In addition to the river and lowland flooding, sump pump failures caused by power outages from the ice storm of January 5th and 6th led to hundreds of homes sustaining major damage from basement flooding.

Low pressure over the southern plains moved northeast across Ohio. Snow associated with this low spread into northern Ohio during the evening hours of the 26th. Light freezing rain began to mix with the snow during the early morning hours of the 27th. This light mixture continued through the middle part of the day. Snow accumulations through noon on the 27th ranged from 3 to 5 inches with the greatest amounts along and just south of U.S. Route 30. The precipitation intensified during the late afternoon hours with moderate to heavy freezing rain falling for around 90 minutes. Some sleet was also reported during this period. Ice accumulations of up to one half inch resulted from this period of heavy precipitation. This created extremely treacherous driving conditions and resulted in hundreds of accidents. Many downed power lines were also reported. The freezing rain diminished in intensity during the evening hours and finally ended just before midnight.

A cold front moved across northern Ohio during the evening hours. Showers and strong winds accompanied this front. Wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph downed a few trees and limbs in Richland and Ashland Counties. Power outages were reported in Richland County near Ontario and Mansfield. A peak gust of 33 mph was recorded at Mansfield Lahm Airport (Richland County) at 7:47 p.m.