Cleveland, Ohio is known for its snowy winters, especially early and late in the season when Lake Erie creates lake-effect snow cubes. It ranks 41st as the snowiest city in the continental United States, nowhere near the snowiest city, Syracuse, New York, which receives an average of 115.6 inches each year. Since 1950, the average annual snowfall in Cleveland, measured at Cleveland Hopkins Airport, has been 60 inches, including late fall and early spring snowfall.
Lake effect snow
The weather phenomenon known as lake-effect snow occurs when cold, dry air absorbs moisture and heat as it passes over a warmer body of water, such as Lake Erie. This occurs from late fall to early winter, when the lake’s temperature is warmer than cold air. Once the lake freezes in the dead of winter, lake effect snow can rarely develop because there is little warm moisture coming out of the frozen lake.
Annual snowfall varies
Snowfall in Cleveland can vary widely from year to year. For example, from the fall of 2016 to the spring of 2017, the city received only 30.4 inches of snow. This is one of the lowest amounts of snow on record in Cleveland. The record for the most snowfall in Cleveland recorded at the airport was 117.9 inches during the 2004-2005 season, and the record for the least amount of snow was set in 1918-1919 at 8.8 inches recorded downtown.
Recent snowfall amounts in inches
- 2007-2008: 77,2
- 2008-2009: 80
- 2009-2010: 59.8
- 2010-2011: 69,5
- 2011-2012: 38,9
- 2012-2013: 51,7
- 2013-2014: 86.1
- 2014-2015: 67,1
- 2015-2016: 32.8
Snowfall averages for other Ohio cities
Below are the average snowfall statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, measured at Cleveland Hopkins Airport and other area airports from 1950 to 2002.
- Cleveland: 56,9 «
- Akron: 47.1 «
- Mansfield: 42.4 «
- Youngstown: 55.8 «
- Toledo: 37.1 «
