Late Season April Snow On The Way!

Late April snowfalls are indeed rare birds.  The last time Northeastern Ohio had measurable snowfall after April 20th was in 2005 when more than a foot of wet snow fell between the 23rd and the 25th. Normally, it takes me 35-40 minutes to drive home. That evening after the 10PM news, I didn't get home until 1:45AM!  25 mph along the interstate straddling tracks in the snow made by the semis ahead of me. By far the worst drive through snow I've ever had.

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The biggest concern will be for downed powerlines across central PA. Leaves on the trees in early spring have the ability to hold more than leaves in late fall. Copious amounts of heavy wet snow will no doubt bring power lines down.  Luckily in northern Ohio, the amounts of snow will be far less.  We have several factors working against widespread snowfall:  1) The track of the storm steers the moisture north, away from northern Ohio.  2)  The ground temperatures are in the lower 40s.  3) The Lake Erie water temp is 50.  Still, evaporative cooling (cooling process within the cloud as precipitation falls--the chill you feel when you step out of the shower) will cause temps to drop sufficiently enough during the night low enough to allow snow to accumulate in spots.  Here are projections through midday Tuesday.

Here are the times in Cleveland when we had snowfall after April 20th since 1948:

2005     April 23-25th  12.4"

1971     April 24            0.1"

1968     April 25            0.2"

1967     Apri 24             0.1"

1963     April 30            0.3"

1953     April 20-21st    1.7"