Snowfall Numbers…

So, we saw our first accumulating snowfall for the season Tuesday and Wednesday.

Yes, it was minor, but still worth talking about.  Most of what fell was courtesy of Lake Erie in true lake effect style.

Here are the totals:  The numbers are in inches and then the date and time of the measurement follows.  ‘T’ means a trace fell.

...CUYAHOGA COUNTY...
   SOLON                  2.1   929 AM 10/29
   BROADVIEW HTS          1.1   820 AM 10/29
   CLE AIRPORT            0.3   823 AM 10/29  

...GEAUGA COUNTY...
   CHARDON                0.8   820 AM 10/29
   THOMPSON 5SW           0.8   821 AM 10/29
   MONTVILLE              0.5   818 AM 10/29  

...LORAIN COUNTY...
   OBERLIN                  T   933 AM 10/29  

...PORTAGE COUNTY...
   MANTUA                 1.0   827 AM 10/29  

...RICHLAND COUNTY...
   MANSFLD ARPT             T   824 AM 10/29  

...SUMMIT COUNTY...
   TWINSBURG              2.0   818 AM 10/29
   TALLMADGE 2NE          0.6   817 AM 10/29
   CAK AIRPORT              T   822 AM 10/29  

...TRUMBULL COUNTY...
   YNG AIRPORT            1.7   824 AM 10/29
   NEWTON FALLS           0.4   930 AM 10/29  

...WAYNE COUNTY...
   WOOSTER                  T   825 AM 10/29

SAY IT AIN’T SNOW???

OK, OK.  The e-mails keep pouring in… the question, almost always the same.  It goes something like this…

“Jason,

Are we really going to get snow next week?  I’m not ready for Winter!”

For those of you who wrote, I apologize for paraphrasing.   Getting snow in October isn’t that unusual for Northern Ohio.  Obviously, we typically don’t see any significant accumulations either.  Partly because of a general lack of cold air staying here long enough for it to snow for a long enough time to accumulate.  Did that make sense?  In other words, arctic air may only be around for 12-24 hours.  Hardly enough to produce a major snowfall event.

Another consideration is how warm the ground is.  We’ve barely had our first freeze across the region, so the ground is still very warm.  Combine that with forecast highs this weekend into the 50s and the ground will take some time to cool.

So, yes, the flakes may fall, especially at night when temps cool, but it’s a good bet it will have a tough time sticking.  For those of you who welcome our season’s ‘first snow,’ we may get enough for a nice coating on some grassy areas in the morning.  As always, stay tuned to TV5 and newsnet5.com for the latest weather updates as we battle through the brilliance and sometimes the betrayal of the Fall season in Northern Ohio.

I’m Meteorologist Jason Nicholas.

FROSTY WEEKEND!

Hello all.

We had quite a weather weekend.  Typical Fall-like weather.
Chilly mornings and cool afternoons.
Saturday morning was quite chilly.  I had the chance to watch my
7 year-old nephew play some flag football in Broadview Heights.
I only wore jeans, a long sleeve T-shirt and a light, light jacket.
I couldn't believe all the people decked out in their Winter wear
complete with hats, gloves, blankets and hand warmers.  

Was it really that cold?  My thermometer in my car read 50 degrees.
But, with a cool northeasterly wind and ample cloud cover, it felt cooler.
That night and Sunday morning, many of us experienced our first hard freeze
of the season, thus ending the growing season.  

Here are a few places in our area and dates that correspond
with our first frost or freeze.  Thanks to our friends at the
Cleveland NWS for the information.

ashtabula          oct 25
chardon            oct 14
cleveland          oct 29
hiram              oct 18
painesville        oct 31   

Get ready for the cool Fall.  I'm Meteorologist Jason Nicholas.

First October Week

Happy Fall everyone.  We are now into the first full week of October.  The leaves are starting to change colors, but we’re still weeks away from anything spectacular.  Here is a good web site if you enjoy experiencing all that the Fall season has to offer:

http://consumer.discoverohio.com/consumer/support/fallcolor

The site has everything from Fall colors, to haunted happenings, to local farm markets.  Enjoy it.

Here are some interesting facts about the leaves changing.

• Leaves of some trees such as birches, tulip poplars, redbud and hickory, are always yellow in the fall, never red.
• The fall leaves of a few trees, including sugar maple, dogwood, sweet gum, black gum and sourwood, are usually red but may also be yellow.
• The most intense of fall color occurs in in areas such as New England, with almost pure stands of a few types of trees, such as maples and birches, that all turn color at the same time during the short fall season.
• The most varied fall color, as well as the longest lasting, occurs in areas such as the southern Appalachians, where a dozen or more kinds of trees may change color at slightly different times over the longer fall season.
• Leaves have just as much yellow pigment (xanthophyll) in July when they are green as they do in October when they are yellow. In July the darker green pigment (chlorophyll) masks the yellow color.

Meteorologist Jason Nicholas

Another Blog Blurb

Here is another email from someone who also has enjoyed her travels.

JASON,

I REALLY ENJOYED READING ABOUT YOUR VAIL TRIP. I TOO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT VAIL. LUCKY ME EXPERIENCED IT IT THE SUMMER FOR A GOLF TRIP AND IN THE WINTER TO SKI. EACH TIME WAS SPECTACULAR. CANT WAIT TO GO OUT WEST AGAIN. MAYBE TO ARIZONA FOR TRIBE SPRING TRAINING NEXT YEAR.

Thanks for your email!

Jason Nicholas

A Blog Blurb

Here is an email I received from a blog reader who had some comments to share about my recent blog on my trip to Colorado.

Jason,

I enjoyed reading your blog about your recent visit to Colorado.  The backdrop you described sounds breathtaking!  I’ve been to Colorado myself and absolutely loved it.  I went white water rafting and horseback riding.  I saw the Garden of the Gods and the Royal Gorge BI enjoyed reading your blog about your recent visit to Colorado.  The backdrop you described sounds breathtaking!  I’ve been to Colorado myself and absolutely loved it.  I went white water rafting and horseback riding.  I saw the Garden of the Gods and the Royal Gorge Bridge.  I have to say, while the bridge and the view was awesome, it was my least favorite being afraid of heights!  There are many other places that I have yet to see, but I would love to see Colorado again.  Thanks for sharing your story!

Deborah