Cleveland doubled its seasonal snowfall in just three days thanks to a unique snow event that dumped heavy across parts of the viewing area.
For the first 69 days of Meteorological Winter (Dec. 1 through Feb. 7), Cleveland Hopkins Airport received just 8.8 inches of snow. But, over a three day period this week, Cleveland measured 9.1 inches of snowfall. That effectively doubles the seasonal total to almost 18 inches. Of course we are still more than two feet below average as of Feb. 11.
It's all because of an interesting storm event that occurred from Feb.8 through Feb. 11.
It started with an Alberta Clipper moving across the Great Lakes. Now, Alberta Clippers are normally fast moving, moisture starved surface low pressure systems that are in and out in hours, dropping a paltry few inches across our area. The Clipper did drop 1 to 4 inches across Northern Ohio as it arrived, along with some rain.
But, then the Clipper did something unusual. It stalled. It parked itself just north of Lake Erie for the next day and a half. Pieces of energy, in the form of scattered moderate snow showers wrapped in around the stalled low on Feb. 9. Another 1 to 4 inches of snow across parts of the area.
As the weakening surface slow moved east the morning of Fe. 10, it dragged a line of moderate to heavy snow into the area with 1-2 inch per hour snowfall rates, followed by bands of heavy lake effect snow squalls.
Two more surface fronts, or "troughs" followed that afternoon and evening. These troughs effectively pushed the lake effect snow bands farther inland, dumping several inches of snow as far south as Medina and Akron.
More lake effect snow squalls developed the night of the 10th and early morning Feb. 11, keeping heavy snow falling through the early afternoon hours of the 11th. Granger Township, just east of Medina, received 12.5 inches of snow in 24 hours. The results were a widespread snow event that impacted most parts of the NewsChannel 5 viewing area, giving many their most snowfall of any event of the 2015-16 snow season.
Here are SNOWFALL TOTALS for this February Snow Event:
- Kent (Portage Co) = 6.9 inches
- New London (Huron Co) = 4.7"
- Ashland (Ashland Co) = 4.8"
- Macedonia (Summit Co) = 6"
- North Ridgeville (Lorain Co) = 4.5"
- Lodi (Medina Co) = 8.0"
- Geneva (Ashtabula Co) = 9.9"
- Newton Falls (Trumbull Co) = 5.9"
- Warren (Trumbull Co) = 5.1"
- Orwell (Ashtabula Co) = 4.9"
- Akron/Canton Airport (Summit Co) = 4.5"
- Cleveland Hopkins Airport (Cuyahoga Co) = 9.1"
- Mansfield Lahm Airport (Richland Co) = 4.5"
- Youngstown/Warren Airport (Trumbull Co) = 5.5"
- Mentor (Lake Co) = 6.0"
- Cleveland/Old Brooklyn (Cuyahoga Co) = 7.0"
- Alliance (Stark Co) = 4.0"
- Wadsworth (Medina Co) = 3.2"
- Dalton (Wayne Co) = 3.5"
- Austintown (Mahoning Co) = 3.3"
- Twinsburg (Summit Co) = 8.2"
- Montville (Geauga Co) = 11.3"
- Hiram (Portage Co) = 10.4"
- Kirtland (Lake Co) = 6.7"
- Lorain (Lorain Co) = 3.5"
- Chardon (Geauga Co) = 13.8"
- East Canton (Stark Co) = 2.1"
- Solon (Cuyahoga Co) = 11.5"
- Burton (Geauga Co) = 13.0"
- Waynesburg (Stark Co) = 2.5"
- Greene (Summit Co) = 5.0"
- Magnolia (Stark Co) = 4.5"
- Hiram Rapids (Portage Co) = 9.5"
- Fairlawn (Summit Co) = 10.6"
- Akron (Summit Co) = 10.0"
- Jefferson (Ashtabula Co) = 10.5"
- Garfield Heights (Cuyahoga Co) = 7.5"
- Stow (Summit Co) = 6.6"
- Brunswick (Medina Co) = 6.1"
- Broadview Heights (Cuyahoga Co) = 9.5"
- Conneaut (Ashtabula Co) = 12.0"
- Madison (Lake Co) = 11.0"
