News: A chilly morning across Northern Ohio

CLEVELAND -- The region awoke to some chilly temperatures on Wednesday morning as cold air dropped temperatures into the 30s in most locations.

A new record low temperature of 29 degrees was set at Mansfield at 6:37 a.m. The previous record was 30 degrees set in 1963.

Meanwhile at the Toledo Express Airport, the low fell to 31 degrees at 6:32 a.m. which was just one degree shy of the old record of 30 set in 1961.

Here are some preliminary low temperatures through 8 a.m. Wednesday morning at cities around Ohio.

AKRON-CANTON: 34 degrees
CLEVELAND: 35 degrees
COLUMBUS: 42 degrees
CINCINNATI: 34 degrees
DAYTON: 36 degrees
FINDLAY: 29 degrees
CINC-LUNKEN: 34 degrees
MANSFIELD: 29 degrees
TOLEDO: 31 degrees
YOUNGSTOWN: 35 degrees
ZANESVILLE: 39 degrees

News: March ice storm mess still remains in Ashtabula

By Channel 3 News reporter Obie Shelton

ASHTABULA -- Two-month-old piles of branches and twigs remain in front of homes in Ashtabula because of politics.

Residents have done their part to pick up branches and stack them in front of their homes. But after the biggest ice storm anyone can remember, the city hasn't finished picking up the piles.

Veronica Randall's family from New York is helping her clean up. "Well, we were surprised that it's still here," Randall said as she looked at piles of branches on the street. "Why is it still here?"

Hundreds of streets have had the piles for so long that new homes have been created for some unwanted residents. "We've already had phone calls about raccoons and possums getting into the limbs," City Manager Anthony Cantagallo said.

He says the piles might all be gone by now had the city hired the private contractor he wanted. However, city council said no. "Our city workers said we can do it in less time," City Council Vice President Betty Kist said. "And so council voted 7-0 for our workers to do it. We support them, and they're doing an excellent job."

She says city workers would have been further along, but the mayor stopped them for almost 2 weeks to solicit private bids. Now city workers are collecting what they can each day after they finish their regular city jobs. They also work weekends.

The city is collecting all of the branches and twigs in a big pile at a city lot. Eventually it will be ground into mulch. Kist expects city crews to be finished by the end of May. The mayor believes they won't be done until mid-June.

Because Ashtabula was declared a disaster area, most of the clean-up cost is being covered by state and federal money.

VIDEO FEATURE:
To watch Obie's package: CLICK HERE

News: State will help northern Ohio city with flood expenses

BELLEVUE, Ohio (AP) -- Finally, there's some relief for city leaders and homeowners who have been dealing with month-long flooding in Bellevue neighborhoods. The state will reimburse the city for some of the costs to fight the flooding, and the water is going down.

It has been five weeks since water began coming up through the ground and flooding basements and roads in this northern Ohio town. A mix of heavy rains and melting snow in recent months left the ground saturated. The water leaked through cracks in the limestone buried beneath the town.

The water has buckled concrete basement floors, cracked foundations and closed several streets and roads, including a busy state highway. City leaders estimate the flood has cost them about $500,000.

News: Cleveland hits 81 degrees Friday

CLEVELAND -- The calendar still says April, but the weather is already summerish across Northeast Ohio.

The Cleveland area reached the low 80's Friday, with the official high at Hopkins hitting 81 degrees at 3:59 p.m. According to WKYC Weather Plus Meteorologist Betsy Kling, the last time we hit 80 degrees was back on October 21, 2007.

Today's high was just 5 degrees shy of the all-time record high of 86 degrees set back in 1990.

Folks at Progressive Field enjoyed the nice warm weather downtown Friday evening as the Indians took on the New York Yankees, minus the bugs that plagued last year's playoff game at Jacobs Field.

Temperatures will cool as some rain is in the forecast for Saturday and a more seasonable return of daily highs.

News: President declares Ohio in state of emergency from March snow storm

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- President Bush has declared a state of emergency in Ohio due to the record amount of snow that hit a large swath of the state from March 7 to March 9.

The White House says Bush declared the emergency Thursday and ordered federal aid be made available to 17 counties.

Cost-sharing funds are available to state and local governments in the counties of Ashtabula, Brown, Clermont, Clinton, Crawford, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Geauga, Greene, Hardin, Huron, Lake, Morrow, Richland, Union and Wyandot.

The funds are to help with the costs of emergency protective measures used at the time of the snowfall.

News: Expect More Air Quality Advisories in 2008

Twice as many Air Quality Advisories may be issued this year by NOACA's Air Quality Programs. Does this mean the air in Northeast Ohio is getting worse? No, the federal air quality standards have become stricter.

In the last 5 months, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has tightened its Air Quality Standards for both ozone and fine particles. The 8-hour ozone standard moved from 85 parts per billion to 75. The 24 hour fine particle standard moved from 40 micrograms per cubic meter down to 35.

Looking back at 2006 and 2007, it is easy to see that many more Air Quality Advisories would have been called if the new, tighter standards had already been in place:

OZONE DAYS:

2006
Old Method: 5 days
New Method: 14 days

2007
Old Method: 14 days
New Method: 31 days

PARTICULATE MATTER DAYS:

2006
Old Method: 9 days
New Method: 20 days

2007
Old Method: 16 days
New Method: 31 days

These figures are for the counties of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit

What does this mean for Northeast Ohio?

Many more "Air Quality Advisories" will be called due to the standard change. Ozone can reach the new levels not just on very hot days, but on days as cool as 68 degrees. Fine particles can form all year round whenever there is moisture in the air. And both pollutants can form whenever there is a temperature inversion trapping pollution over the region. Cars, trucks, diesel equipment, and stationary sources like factories and power plants continue to contribute to the formation of both pollutants.

Consider creating a response plan now such as keeping your gas tank full to avoid the need to refuel on Air Quality Advisory days, mapping your public transportation route, and finding a carpool partner at www.OhioRideshare.org

Weather Photo: Spring Weekend in the 'Burbs

Submitted By: WKYC's Frank Macek in Strongsville
Caption: Bonnie Park waterfall in Rocky River Metroparks - 4/20/08



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Saturday rainfall roundup

CLEVELAND -- The following are the highs, lows and precipitation amounts for some selected cities across Ohio for Saturday ending at 8 AM Sunday.

STATION            MAX   MIN     PRECIP    
AKRON-CANTON       73    50      0.46         
CLEVELAND          75    52      0.27         
COLUMBUS           66    50      0.16         
CINCINNATI         64    44      0.01         
DAYTON             63    44      0.02         
FINDLAY            68    51      0.28         
CINC-LUNKEN        65    43      0.01         
MANSFIELD          68    49      0.44         
TOLEDO             68    51      0.05         
YOUNGSTOWN         77    52      0.37         
ZANESVILLE         70    50      0.33

Weather Photo: Spring is Finally Here - 4/18/08

Submitted By: Larry in Norwalk
Caption: Cherry blossoms in full bloom



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News: 5.2 earthquake rocks Illinois; also felt in Ohio

By WKYC Assignment Desk Editor Russ Simeone

A 5.2 earthquake in Illinois has rocked people awake as far away as Indiana and Ohio, surprising residents unaccustomed to such a large temblor in the Midwest. The U.S. Geological Survey downgraded the magnitude of the earthquake from 5.4 to 5.2 mid-morning Friday.


The calls came from a number of different cities, including Lakewood, Rocky River, Solon, Akron, Copley and Willard. Channel 3 News has received comments from viewers comparing the effect to that caused by extremely high winds.

The quake while centered southern Illinois was felt as far away as Milwaukee, 350 miles to the north. Skyscrapers shook in Chicago's Loop, 240 miles north of the epicenter, and in Indianapolis, 160 miles to the northeast. People in Cincinnati and St. Louis also felt the earth shake.

A resident of Philo, Illinois, south of Champaign, says the house was shaking and the windows were rattling. And he says for central Illinois, it was "a big deal." There are no reports of any injuries or significant damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey says this morning's quake happened in a region known as the Illinois basin-Ozark dome, which does not usually get quakes. The biggest on record, also a 5.4, happened in 1968.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
*Ohio Seismic Network
*US Geological Survey

VIDEO FEATURES:
*To watch a report from Chris Tye: CLICK HERE
*To watch a report from Bill Safos: CLICK HERE
*To watch wrap coverage from WKYC's 6 PM Newscast on 4/18/08: CLICK HERE

*Caught on Tape: To watch video of the quake during a morning broadcast: CLICK HERE

YOUR SAY:
*If you felt the quake here in Northeast Ohio: CLICK HERE

Weather History: Top 20 Earthquakes in U.S. History

The following are the top 20 biggest U.S. earthquakes to date:

1. Prince William Sound, Alaska (1964) - 9.2 magnitude
2. Cascadia subduction zone (1700) - 9 magnitude
3. Rat Islands, Alaska (1965) - 8.7 magnitude
4. Andreanof Islands, Alaska (1957) - 8.6 magnitude
5. East of Shumagin Islands, Alaska (1938) - 8.2 magnitude
6. Unimak Islands, Alaska (1946) - 8.1 magnitude
7. New Madrid, Missouri (1811) - 8.1 magnitude
8. Yakutat Bay, Alaska (1899) - 8.0 magnitude
9. New Madrid, Missouri (1812) - 8 magnitude
10. Denali Fault, Alaska (2002) - 7.9 magnitude
11. Gulf of Alaska, Alaska (1987) - 7.9 magnitude
12. Andreanof Islands, Alaska (1986) - 7.9 magnitude
13. Near Cape Yakataga, Alaska (189) - 7.9 magnitude
14. Ka'u District, Island of Hawaii (1868) - 7.9 magnitude
15. Fort Tejon, California (1857) - 7.9 magnitude
16. Rat Islands, Alaska (2003) - 7.8 magnitude
17. Andreanof Islands, Alaska (1996) - 7.8 magnitude
18. San Francisco, California (1906) - 7.8 magnitude
19. Imperial Valley, California (1892) - 7.8 magnitude
20. New Madrid, Missouri (1812) - 7.8 magnitude

Courtesy: U.S. Geological Survey

News: Warmer temperatures earlier than normal

CLEVELAND -- With temperatures bringing an usually warmer than normal spring so far, the WKYC Weather Plus Forecast Center looks into the record books of the National Weather Service to see when the last freeze normally occurs across the Channel 3 viewing area.

The following details the average last date when we see a temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit or colder:

Ashtabula - May 2
Chardon - May 11
Cleveland - April 21
Elyria - May 4
Hiram - April 30
Norwalk - May 3
Oberlin - May 13
Painesville - April 26
Warren - May 14
Youngstown Airport - May 6

For a complete list of spring thaw dates for more cities across Northeast Ohio: CLICK HERE

News: Lorain County damage caused by a downburst

CLEVELAND -- The National Weather Service says a downburst was responsible for Friday Night's damage in Lorain County.

A storm survey in north central Lorain County Tuesday afternoon found the cause of the damage from the severe thunderstorms that occurred Friday evening April 11th was from a downburst.

A downburst is a strong downward rush of air up to 100 m.p.h. which produces a blast of damaging wind on or close to the surface.

Meteorologist Gary Garnet of the National Weather Service in Cleveland says the main damage was southeast of Amherst to near Elyria.

The three mile long path started near Route 58 and the Turnpike. It continued east, northeast just north of the Turnpike producing scattered pockets of damage before ending near Midway Mall.

Power lines were blown down which caused the Turnpike to be closed for a period of time following the storms.

Wind speed estimates from the damage indicated gusts of 80-90 m.p.h.

Weather Photo: A Spring Day at Edgewater - 4/15/08

Submitted By: WKYC Videographer Mike Greene
Caption: A day at Edgewater Park on 4/15/08



VIEW PHOTOGALLERY:
*To view more pictures from Edgewater today: CLICK HERE

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Weather Photo: Rainbow in Brunswick - 4/10/08

Submitted By: Peggy in Brunswick
Caption: Rainbow on east side of Brunswick High School on Friday, April 10, 2008, around 5:00 pm during set up of "Bring On Brunswick."



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Storms wind down, no major damage reported

A potent line of storms that moved across much of the area Friday evening appear to be finally winding down.

By 10:15 p.m. the last of the Tornado Warnings had been allowed to expire.

A check of law enforcement agencies had turned up no major reports of damage. The Ohio Turnpike in Lorain County was closed for a while after power lines fell across the roadways due to the high winds that blew through the area.

The storms built along a strong cold front that swept across the area causing temperatures to fall.

Cleveland Hopkins International officially topped 73 degrees at 12:16 p.m. this afternoon.

Here are some of the Local Storm Reports received for the storm:

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0855 PM     HAIL             6 S NORWALK             41.16N 82.61W 
04/11/2008  E0.75 INCH       HURON              OH   TRAINED SPOTTER 

0925 PM     HAIL             10 NE ASHLAND           40.97N 82.18W 
04/11/2008  E0.75 INCH       ASHLAND            OH   PUBLIC 

News: Another day of unseasonably warm temperatures

CLEVELAND -- Northeast Ohio has seen another day of above average temperartures.

Sunny skies helped the mercury soar into the upper 70s in some locations across the area this afternoon.

The official high at Cleveland Hopkins International was 70 degrees which occured at 1:16 p.m. Since then, temperatures along the lakeshore have cooled down thanks to northeast winds blowing across the colder waters of Lake Erie.

At 5 PM, the temperature at Burke Lakefront was only 45 degress while it was 71 degrees in Akron and 76 in Dover/New Philadelphia.

A low pressure system will be approaching Ohio tonight and will bring a chance of rain and more normal temperatures for the middle part of the week.

We could see temperatures again near 70 by Friday.

Heavy snow from this same system is predicted for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where nearly a foot of snow is forecasted.

Spring fever is in the air, at least for now

by Frank Macek, WKYC Web Weather Producer

CLEVELAND -- This weekend's mild weather gave folks a little taste of spring fever, but a return to more normal April weather is in sight.

Northeast Ohio continues to see above normal temperatures for this time of the year thanks to a large area of high pressure over the eastern half of the U.S.

According to the National Weather Service in Cleveland, the area hit a high of 58 degrees on Saturday and 60 degress on Sunday.

This is about 5 to 7 degress above normal for the first part of the month.

People all around Northeast Ohio spent time outdoors to herald in our first real taste of Spring weather, that kicked off with last Monday's Indians home opener.

Temperatures through Tuesday will continue mild before more rain moves in for later in the week along with falling temperatures back into the 40s.

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Peak Wind Gusts for 4/1/08

Winds will quite gusty across all of Northern Ohio today. Here is a look at the peak wind gusts according to the National Weather Service office in Cleveland.

PEAK WIND GUSTS

...ASHTABULA COUNTY...
   ASHTABULA CO. AIRPORT   48   251 PM   4/1  

...CUYAHOGA COUNTY...
   CLE AIRPORT             50  1139 AM   4/1  
   CLELKFRNT AIRPORT       46  1213 PM   4/1   

...ERIE COUNTY...
   SANDUSKY YACHT CLUB     51  1053 AM   4/1
   SANDUSKY                46  1045 AM   4/1   

...HANCOCK COUNTY...
   FINDLAY AIRPORT         48  1002 AM   4/1  

...KNOX COUNTY...
   MOUNT VERNON AIRPORT    39   118 PM   4/1  

...LORAIN COUNTY...
   LORAIN/ELYRIA AIRPORT   47  1141 AM   4/1  

...LUCAS COUNTY...
   TOLEDO AIRPORT          46  1023 AM   4/1  

...MARION COUNTY...
   MARION APRT.            38   434 PM   4/1  

...RICHLAND COUNTY...
   MANSFIELD ARPT          43   906 AM   4/1  

...SANDUSKY COUNTY...
   FREMONT                 40   939 AM   4/1  

...SUMMIT COUNTY...
   AKRON (FULTON)          45   156 PM   4/1  
   CAK AIRPORT             43   150 PM   4/1  

...TRUMBULL COUNTY...
   YNG AIRPORT             43   514 PM   4/1  

...WAYNE COUNTY...
   WOOSTER/WAYNE CO. ARPT. 44   420 PM   4/1  

...WOOD COUNTY...
   TOLEDO METCALF ARPT.    44   846 AM   4/1  

News: A March to remember across Northeast Ohio

by Frank Macek, WKYC Web Weather Producer

CLEVELAND -- March goes out like a lamb and sets some new records along the way.

The month of March wound up being a very wet and snowy one across Northeast Ohio.

Our average temperature for the month was 40.6 degrees with an average low of 26.4 degrees. That put us about 4 degrees cooler than normal.

Precipitation wise, the Cleveland area wound up with 5.51" of precipitation - about twice as much as normal. This put us at the 6th wettest March on record. (The all time record is 8.31" inches set in 1913.)

Our snowfall tallied at 30.4" or about 19.7" above normal. This was enough to give Cleveland a new record for snowiest March ever.

Elsewhere around the area, several other notable events occured during March..

AKRON CANTON...
*4th wettest March on record with 5.80" (The record is 10.46" set in 1913.)
*2nd snowiest March on record with 20.4" (The record is 20.9" in 1960.)

MANSFIELD...
*8th coldest March on record at 33.6 degrees. (The record is 23.9 degrees in 1960.)
*4th wettest March on record with 5.70" (The record is 7.04" in 1964.)
*Snowiest March on record with 21.4"

TOLEDO...
*2nd snowiest March on record with 17.4" (The record is 17.7" in 1993.)

YOUNGSTOWN...
*Wettest March on record with 6.38"
*4th snowiest on record with 21.7 inches. (The record is 30.9" in 1993)

To view our WKYC daily weather almanac with charts and graphics about our weather: CLICK HERE