National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Winter 2014-'15 Review, Northern Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania

For the second winter in a row, cold and snowy weather was reported across all of northern Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania.  All of the major climate sites finished with snowfall totals at or above normal.  But, it was the record setting cold that occurred in February that will long be remembered.  Most areas saw their coldest February ever and one of the coldest months of all time.  Only January of 1977 was colder than February of 2015 in many areas.  Schools were closed many days because of the cold.

The winter got off to a fast start with below normal temperatures and an abundance of snow during November.  For the month, temperatures averaged four to six degrees below normal.   The first significant lake effect event dumped up to a foot of snow on the northeast corner of Ohio on November 13th and 14th.  A week later, heavy lake effect bands hit Lorain and western Cuyahoga Counties and dropped a quick 6 to 8 inches of snow.  Numerous other light snows were reported during the month.  November was in the top ten snowiest for some areas. A damaging wind storm also affected the northern end of the state on November 24th.  Wind gusts in excess of 60 mph downed hundreds of trees and caused scattered power outages.

Winter took a break during the month of December.  Little snow fell during the month and temperatures averaged three to four degrees above normal.  All of the major reporting stations recorded less than an inch of snow for the month.

Winter intensified in January.  There were frequent storms producing a few inches of snow.  Both Mansfield and Youngstown finished the month with top ten January snowfall totals with 25.0 and 29.3 inches of snow respectively.  Even northwest Ohio saw more than a foot of snow during the month.  Temperatures took a downward turn and finished the month averaging two to four degrees below normal.

February will long be remembered for its brutal temperatures.   Morning lows were at or below zero ten or more days during the month.  On the 15th, high temperatures barely made it above zero.  For the month, average temperatures were as much as 15 degrees below normal making February of 2015 the coldest on record at all but Toledo and Akron-Canton.  The morning low of -17 at Cleveland on the 20th was the coldest February temperature ever at that location and tied for the 4th coldest low ever.  Wind chills on the 15th, 16th and 20th were as cold as minus 35 degrees prompting all schools to close.   The most significant snow storm of the year impacted the area on the 1st and 2nd.  Low pressure moved up the Ohio Valley and dumped more than a foot of snow north of a line from Bowling Green to Warren.  South of this line there was a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain which caused massive traffic problems.  Other storms produced periods of snow throughout the month.  All of the major reporting sites finished the month with top 10 snowfall totals for February.  In fact, Toledo had its snowiest February ever with 25.3 inches of snow.

Temperatures remained cold during March with average temperatures again several degrees below normal.  Snowfall totals of up to a foot were common during the month.  When warmer weather finally returned later in the month, significant ice jam flooding occurred on northern Ohio rivers.  Many homes and businesses were damaged by the flood waters.

 

Seasonal Snow Totals 2014-'15 (Specific locations listed below the map)... 

2014-2015 Snowfall Totals

 

Summary of Snowfall at Climate Sites
2014-2015  Oct 14  Nov 14  Dec 14  Jan 15  Feb 15  Mar 15  Apr 15  May 15 Total 2014-15
Toledo 0 2.8 0 12.2 25.3 4.3 0 0 44.6
Mansfield 0 5.9 0.2 25.0 21.4 5.6 0 0 58.1
Cleveland 0 19.4 0.9 15.1 26.0 4.8 0.9 0 67.1
Akron-Canton 0 8.0 0.5 21.3 23.1 6.6 0 T 59.5
Youngstown 0 11.6 0.7 29.3 27.9 8.0 0.9 0 78.4
Erie PA 0 25.0 5.5 37.4 31.5 10.9 0 T 110.3

 

Seasonal Snow Totals 2014-'15 - by location.

Note that reports are from volunteer observers and not certified climate locations. If more than one report was registered for a location, the value was averaged.

Perrysburg                                  42.6

Findlay                                       35.3

Arlington                                     39.6

Sandusky                                   44.3

Fremont                                      49.2

Bucyrus                                      40.3

Huron                                         48.6

Milan                                          54.9

Bellevue                                     54.2

New London                                54.1

Galion                                         55.3

Ashland                                      52.9

Mansfield (city)                           50.3

Ontario                                       48.6

Walnut Creek (Holmes Cty)       36.7

Waynesburg (Stark Cty)            41.4

Jackson Twp (Stark Cty)           45.0

Massillon                                   39.4

East Canton                              38.3

Alliance                                     45.5

Lorain 3 S                                  64.0

Elyria                                         67.2

North Ridgeville                         62.7

Lodi                                           53.0

Stow                                          53.7

Munroe Falls                             56.0

Tallmadge                                 54.8

Cleveland                                  60.6

Parma (NW)                              71.5

Parma (SE)                               87.4

North Royalton                          90.5

Broadview Heights                    95.4

Maple Heights                           76.2

Solon                                         82.6

Euclid                                        64.7

Shaker Heights                         85.0

Beachwood                               104.4

Sagamore HIlls                         75.4

Hiram                                        90.6

Kent                                          59.8

Chagrin Falls                            102.3

Mentor                                      78.1

Burton                                      105.0

Chardon                                   116.4

Hambden Twp (Geauga Cty)   123.3

Montville (Geauga Cty)            115.5

Middlefield                                82.2

Newton Falls                            70.7

Conneaut                                 91.0

Fairview, PA                            104.0

Millcreek Twp (Erie, PA)          119.0

Edinboro, PA                           127.7

Colt Station, PA                       178.6

Northeast, PA                          151.3

Corry, PA                                 152.7

Springboro, PA                        108.4

Crossingville, PA                     135.5

Meadville, PA                          104.4

Canadohta Lake, PA               124.1