The NOAA temperature outlook for winter 2020-2021.
The Winter 2020-2021 Review is the latest edition in the series. Overall, December and February brought some of the worst winter weather Columbus had seen in several years. Meanwhile, January and March were unusually quiet. Temperatures through January were fairly to slightly above average, while February was well below normal. March and April provided little winter weather, and March had no snowfall whatsoever.
Let’s break the winter down.
December-February Only Average High: 37.8 42nd Coldest Average Low: 25.1 34th Warmest Mean: 31.4 42nd Warmest Precipitation: 6.72″ 38th Driest Snowfall: 24.7″ 31st Snowiest Average Daily Snow Depth: 1.0″ 15th Highest Largest Snowstorm: 5″ on 1/30-2/1/2021. This was a long-duration storm that moved only very slowly through the region. # of 32 or Below Highs: 28 22nd Most # of 32 or Below Lows: 79 10th Most # of Measurable Precipitation Days: 38 14th Fewest # of Measurable Snowfall Days: 23 14th Most
Overall, winter 2020-21 was somewhat average- not too cold, not too warm, not too wet, not too dry, not too snowy, but not snowless.
Entire Cold Season: October-April Average High: 51.2 15th Warmest Average Low: 33.6 22nd Warmest Mean: 42.4 15th Warmest Precipitation: 20.39″ 56th Wettest Snowfall: 27.8″ 43rd Snowiest Average Snow Depth: 0.4″ 5th Lowest Largest Snowstorm: 5″ on 1/30-2/1/2021 # of 32 or Below Highs: 28 18th Fewest # of 32 or Below Lows: 107 27th Most # of Measurable Precipitation Days: 76 11th Fewest # of Measurable Snowfall Days: 25 16th Fewest
The overall cold season was generally warm, but still managed to provide near normal to slight above normal snowfall for the region.
Average High By Month October 2020: 63.3 31st Coldest November 2020: 57.6 8th Warmest December 2020: 41.5 38th Warmest January 2021: 37.5 49th Warmest February 2021: 33.9 20th Coldest March 2021: 59.0 7th Warmest April 2021: 64.4 29th Warmest
Average Low By Month October 2020: 45.6 35th Warmest November 2020: 37.3 18th Warmest December 2020: 27.7 36th Warmest January 2021: 26.6 22nd Warmest February 2021: 20.4 35th Coldest March 2021: 34.7 27th Warmest April 2021: 42.0 35th Warmest
Mean By Month October 2020: 54.5 38th Coldest November 2020: 47.4 10th Warmest December 2020: 34.6 36th Warmest January 2021: 32.1 39th Warmest February 2021: 27.2 30th Coldest March 2021: 46.9 12th Warmest April 2021: 53.2 28th Warmest
Precipitation By Month October 2020: 4.19″ 16th Wettest November 2020: 3.35″ 45th Wettest December 2020: 2.24″ 44th Driest January 2021: 2.25″ 50th Driest February 2021: 2.23″ 64th Wettest March 2021: 2.85″ 54th Driest April 2021: 3.28″ 60th Wettest
Snowfall By Month October 2020: 0.0″ Tied for Least Snowy November 2020: 1.9″ 21st Least Snowy December 2020: 8.5″ 22nd Snowy January 2021: 4.1″ 29th Least Snowy February 2021: 12.1″ 15th Snowiest March 2021: 0.0″ Tied for Least Snowy April 2021: 1.2″ 14th Least Snowy
March’s lack of snowfall tied the record for the only time in history the month did not even have a trace of snowfall.
Average Snow Depth By Month October 2020: 0.0″ November 2020: 0.0″ December 2020: 0.7″ January 2021: 0.1″ February 2021: 2.4″ March 2021: 0.0″ April 2021: 0.0″
Maximum High By Month October 2020: 80 on the 22nd November 2020: 78 on the 8th and 10th December 2020: 63 on the 11th January 2021: 51 on the 1st February 2021: 60 on the 28th March 2021: 75 on March 24th April 2021: 83 on April 27th
Maximum High Records -78 on November 8th was a record high for the date, beating the old record of 74 set in 1945. -76 on November 9th tied the daily record high with 1975. -78 on November 10th was a record high for the date, beating the old record of 72 set in 1949.
Minimum High By Month October 2020: 48 on the 30th November 2020: 43 on the 18th December 2020: 18 on the 25th January 2021: 25 on the 28th February 2021: 23 on the 7th and 16th March 2021: 40 on the 15th April 2021: 37 o the 1st
Maximum Low By Month October 2020: 62 on the 11th November 2020: 55 on the 10th December 2020: 43 on the 12th January 2021: 37 on the 2nd February 2021: 43 on the 28th March 2021: 56 on the 11th April 2021: 65 on the 28th
Maximum Low Records -The 65 on April 28th tied the record set in 1914.
Minimum Low By Month October 2020: 30 on the 31st November 2020: 25 on the 18th December 2020: 13 on the 26th and 27th January 2021: 16 on the 23rd February 2021: 5 on the 17th March 2021: 19 on the 5th April 2021: 21 on the 2nd
Highest Daily Precipitation By Month October 2020: 1.25″ on the 29th November 2020: 0.89″ on the 25th December 2020: 0.74″ on the 30th January 2021: 1.04″ on the 1st February 2021: 0.76″ on the 28th March 2021: 1.12″ on the 18th April 2021: 1.88″ on the 29th
Precipitation Records -0.76″ on February 28th was the record for the date, beating the old record of 0.56″ set in 1954. -The 1.88″ on April 29th was a record for the date, beating the old record of 1.82″ set in 1996.
Highest Daily Snowfall By Month October 2020: 0.0″ November 2020: 1.9″ on the 30th December 2020: 3.4″ on the 24th January 2021: 2.3″ on the 31st February 2021: 2.3″ on the 1st March 2021: 0.0″ April 2021: 1.2″ on the 21st
Snowfall Records -2.8″ on December 16th was a record for the date, beating the old record of 1.8″ set in 1953. -3.4″ on December 24th was a record for the date, beating the old record of 2.7″ set in 1980.
Deepest Snow Depth By Month October 2020: 0″ November 2020: 0″ December2020: 4″ on the 26th January 2021: 3″ on the 31st February 2021: 5″ on the 18th-21st March 2021: 0.0″ April 2021: 1″ on the 21st
The March, 2008 Columbus snowstorm was a historic and memorable event that will likely not be surpassed for a very long time, if ever. More than one week prior to the Blizzard of 2008, models had been hinting at a significant storm somewhere in the eastern US. Initially, models took the storm up the East Coast, but as the storm neared, models moved it further and further west and settled upon a track just west/just along the spine of the Appalachians. The track waffled for days, but never strayed far from the Appalachian track. Because the storm was originating near the Gulf of Mexico, models were showing the storm pulling vast amounts of moisture north into cold air over the Ohio Valley. Simply put, the track and conditions were being forecast to be perfect for a significant Ohio snowstorm.
Local forecasters, however, weren’t buying it… at least not at first. Four days before the storm, neither the NWS nor the television forecasters were calling for a significant event. The winter of 2007-08 had brought several storm busts, and none of them seemed ready to buy into another one. So right up to 24-36 hours before the event began, most forecasters were calling for 6″ maximum north and west of the I-71 corridor with a mix along the corridor and mostly rain to the south and east.
At 4AM on March 6th, the National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Watch for parts of Ohio, including Central Ohio. The Watch called for 5″-10″ northwest of I-71, with lesser amounts along 71 due to a predicted changeover to sleet and freezing rain and far less just to the south and east.
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 353 AM EST THU MAR 6 2008
INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>095-OHZ026-034-035-042>046- 051>056-060>063-070>072-077-078-061700- /O.NEW.KILN.WS.A.0005.080307T1200Z-080309T0000Z/ WAYNE-FAYETTE IN-UNION IN-FRANKLIN IN-RIPLEY-DEARBORN-OHIO- SWITZERLAND-CARROLL-GALLATIN-BOONE-KENTON-CAMPBELL-OWEN-GRANT- HARDIN-MERCER-AUGLAIZE-DARKE-SHELBY-LOGAN-UNION OH-DELAWARE-MIAMI- CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-MADISON-FRANKLIN OH-LICKING-PREBLE-MONTGOMERY- GREENE-FAYETTE OH-BUTLER-WARREN-CLINTON-HAMILTON-CLERMONT- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…RICHMOND…CONNERSVILLE…LIBERTY… BROOKVILLE…VERSAILLES…LAWRENCEBURG…RISING SUN…VEVAY… CARROLLTON…WARSAW…BURLINGTON…INDEPENDENCE…ALEXANDRIA… OWENTON…WILLIAMSTOWN…KENTON…CELINA…WAPAKONETA… GREENVILLE…SIDNEY…BELLEFONTAINE…MARYSVILLE…DELAWARE… PIQUA…URBANA…SPRINGFIELD…LONDON…COLUMBUS…NEWARK… EATON…DAYTON…XENIA…WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE…HAMILTON… LEBANON…WILMINGTON…CINCINNATI…MILFORD 353 AM EST THU MAR 6 2008
…WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING.
LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP IN THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY LATE TONIGHT AND LIFT NORTHEAST INTO THE TENNESSEE AND OHIO VALLEYS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION FROM THE SOUTH ON FRIDAY MORNING. THE SNOW WILL LIKELY MIX WITH OR CHANGE OVER TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG AND TO THE EAST OF THE INTERSTATE 71 CORRIDOR FROM CINCINNATI TO COLUMBUS. AS COLDER AIR FILTERS BACK INTO THE REGION…ANY MIXED PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE BACK TO ALL SNOW FRIDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY. MINOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS ON TREES AND POWER LINES WILL BE POSSIBLE. PRECIPITATION WILL REMAIN MOSTLY ALL SNOW WEST OF THE INTERSTATE 71 CORRIDOR. 5 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS…WITH LIGHTER AMOUNTS FURTHER EAST WHERE SNOW MIXES WITH FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET.
THE EXACT PATH AND STRENGTH OF THE SYSTEM IS STILL IN QUESTION. IF THE SYSTEM MOVES FARTHER WEST MORE WARM AIR WILL LIFT INTO THE REGION…CAUSING LOWER SNOWFALL TOTALS AND MORE MIXED PRECIPITATION. IF THE SYSTEM SLIDES FARTHER EAST…LESS MIXED PRECIPITATION WOULD OCCUR AND SNOWFALL TOTALS WOULD BE HIGHER.
The Watch above did acknowledge that less mix could lead to higher totals, but nothing to the degree that would eventually fall. By later on the afternoon of the 6th, Watch totals did begin to creep up somewhat to 6″-10″ for the I-71 corridor, but the forecast still called for significant icing.
A Winter Storm Warning was finally issued at 4:30AM on March 7th, just hours before the snow would begin to fall.
OHZ045-046-053>056-062-063-071-072-078-071745- /O.UPG.KILN.WS.A.0005.080307T1200Z-080309T0000Z/ /O.NEW.KILN.WS.W.0006.080307T1700Z-080308T2100Z/ UNION OH-DELAWARE-CLARK-MADISON-FRANKLIN OH-LICKING-GREENE- FAYETTE OH-WARREN-CLINTON-CLERMONT- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…MARYSVILLE…DELAWARE…SPRINGFIELD… LONDON…COLUMBUS…NEWARK…XENIA…WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE… LEBANON…WILMINGTON…MILFORD 436 AM EST FRI MAR 7 2008
…WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 4 PM EST SATURDAY…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 4 PM EST SATURDAY.
LIGHT SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION LATE THIS MORNING. THE SNOW WILL BECOME HEAVIER THIS AFTERNOON…AND LAST THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. FIVE TO SEVEN INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED TONIGHT…WITH AN ADDITIONAL FIVE TO SEVEN INCHES FALLING SATURDAY MORNING. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF AND END SATURDAY AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION…NORTH WINDS AT 20 TO 30 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING…AND LIMIT VISIBILITIES TO NEAR ZERO AT TIMES. BY LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON…A FOOT OR MORE OF SNOW IS EXPECTED WITH DRIFTS OVER TWO FEET.
The Warning abandoned all mention of mixing as models came in colder, and totals were now predicted to be at least a foot in the Columbus area with near blizzard conditions.
My personal account of the storm:
On Thursday, March 6th, I worked a 12-hour day at my store. Customers were talking about forecasts of 4-8″, which in central Ohio is significant in and of itself. We typically get one or two 6″ storms, but rarely up to 8″ and almost never more than that. In fact, in all of Columbus history, there have been less than a dozen snow events that broke double digits. Still, in the talking there were whispers that the storm would be more significant. By Thursday night when I arrived home, I discovered the radar was lit up over the South with a growing area of precipitation heading north. Temperatures had already cooled into the low 30s as a cold front had moved through during the day. Forecasts had changed late in the afternoon, and there were many calls of 6-10″ along I-71 by Sunday.
Friday, March 7th was my day off, and I woke up before 8am in the excitement and inticipation of the impending snow. The radar was showing returns north of the Ohio River then and it was already snowing in Cincinnati. Finally, at 9:05am, flurries began to fall and quickly intensified to a steady, windblown snow. A 9:30, I left the house to go to the store. By the time I reached it, the snow had turned heavy and was accumulating quickly. Visibility had dropped to a 1/4 mile at times and many roads were already snowcovered by the time I reached home.
The snow continued throughout the day and forecasts kept changing. At 3:30PM, the Winter Storm Warning was upgraded to a Blizzard Warning for the entire area until 4PM the following day.
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 325 PM EST FRI MAR 7 2008
…EXTREME WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON…
.A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE OHIO VALLEY OVERNIGHT INTO SATURDAY. THIS STORM WILL HIT AS A ONE TWO PUNCH. THE INITIAL PUNCH TODAY…FOLLOWED BY A BRIEF LULL IN THE SNOW INTENSITY THIS EVENING…BEFORE PICKING UP IN INTENSITY AGAIN OVERNIGHT WHEN STRONG LOW PRESSURE WILL COMBINE WITH AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TO BRING A SECOND ROUND OF HEAVY SNOW TO THE REGION. WINDS WILL GUST UP TO 40 MPH AT TIMES OVERNIGHT…THESE WINDS COMBINED WITH SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CAUSE EXTREME WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS.
INZ066-073>075-080-KYZ089>099-OHZ026-043>046-051>056-060>065- 070>073-077>080-082-080430- /O.CAN.KILN.WS.W.0006.000000T0000Z-080308T2100Z/ /O.NEW.KILN.BZ.W.0001.080307T2025Z-080308T2100Z/ FRANKLIN IN-RIPLEY-DEARBORN-OHIO-SWITZERLAND-CARROLL-GALLATIN- BOONE-KENTON-CAMPBELL-OWEN-GRANT-PENDLETON-BRACKEN-ROBERTSON- MASON-HARDIN-SHELBY-LOGAN-UNION OH-DELAWARE-MIAMI-CHAMPAIGN-CLARK- MADISON-FRANKLIN OH-LICKING-PREBLE-MONTGOMERY-GREENE-FAYETTE OH- PICKAWAY-FAIRFIELD-BUTLER-WARREN-CLINTON-ROSS-HAMILTON-CLERMONT- BROWN-HIGHLAND-PIKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…BROOKVILLE…VERSAILLES… LAWRENCEBURG…RISING SUN…VEVAY…CARROLLTON…WARSAW… BURLINGTON…INDEPENDENCE…ALEXANDRIA…OWENTON…WILLIAMSTOWN… FALMOUTH…BROOKSVILLE…MOUNT OLIVET…MAYSVILLE…KENTON… SIDNEY…BELLEFONTAINE…MARYSVILLE…DELAWARE…PIQUA…URBANA… SPRINGFIELD…LONDON…COLUMBUS…NEWARK…EATON…DAYTON… XENIA…WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE…CIRCLEVILLE…LANCASTER… HAMILTON…LEBANON…WILMINGTON…CHILLICOTHE…CINCINNATI… MILFORD…GEORGETOWN…HILLSBORO…PIKETON 325 PM EST FRI MAR 7 2008
…BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EST SATURDAY… …WINTER STORM WARNING IS CANCELLED…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD WARNING…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EST SATURDAY. THE WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE OHIO VALLEY OVERNIGHT INTO SATURDAY. THIS STORM WILL HIT AS A ONE TWO PUNCH. THE INITIAL PUNCH TODAY…FOLLOWED BY A BRIEF LULL IN THE SNOW INTENSITY THIS EVENING…BEFORE PICKING UP IN INTENSITY AGAIN OVERNIGHT WHEN STRONG LOW PRESSURE WILL COMBINE WITH AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TO BRING A SECOND ROUND OF HEAVY SNOW TO THE REGION. WINDS WILL GUST UP TO 40 MPH AT TIMES OVERNIGHT. BEFORE THE STORM ENDS SATURDAY AFTERNOON…YOU CAN EXPECT 10 TO 15 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION. THE STRONG WINDS COMBINED WITH SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CAUSE EXTREME WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO NEAR ZERO AT TIMES CAUSING WHITEOUT…AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.
DO NOT TRAVEL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. CONDITIONS CAN DETERIORATE RAPIDLY IN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.
Meanwhile, the snow continued into the evening and overnight hours of the 7th. Although it did lighten somewhat towards midnight, it never completely stopped. By midnight, in any case, 5-7″ had fallen throughout Columbus and central Ohio, which set a daily record.
Saturday, March 8th dawned very wintry. By dawn, no less than 10″ was on the ground and the snow was continuing to fall heavily. Winds were generally sustained near 20mph in the morning and increased during the late morning/early afternoon. Heavy snow and winds combined to create total whiteout conditions at times, and every county along I-71 from Cincinnati to Cleveland went under a level 2 or level 3 snow emergency.
At 11am, I went for a walk in the snow. It was still falling heavily and roads were nearly impassable with deep snow. Cars in some cases were buried in snow.
By 2pm, a break in the snowfall came as the low moved to the east of Ohio. When it moved into New York, wraparound snow moved back into the area for 3-4 more hours before ending by 6:30pm Saturday afternoon. The sun even poked through the clouds as it set, producing a very picturesque and beautiful winter scene. A fitting end to the day.
All in all, it was a record setting snowstorm all across the state. Columbus’ 20.5″ of snowfall, including 15.5″ on Saturday alone, was the greatest snowstorm of all time for the city. It also established the greatest 24-hour snowfall and the greatest snow depth ever recorded for any month at 18″. No part of the state was spared, as all major cities except Toledo had 10″ or more. Drifts of 5-7 feet deep were reported in many areas.
Aside from Columbus’ record, here were some other totals across Ohio. Cincinnati: 10.7″ Dayton: 15.4″ Lancaster: 17.0″ Akron: 17.1″ Marysville: 15.5″ Chillicothe: 14.0″ Westerville: 15.0″ Grove City: 11.3″ London: 17.0″ Cleveland: 14.8″ Delaware: 13.5″ Springfield: 15.0″ Belletontaine: 11.0″ Circleville: 13.5″
The storm also brought some areas of the state to record territory in total seasonal snowfall.
Incidentally, 30 years and 2 months prior, the Great Blizzard of 1978 struck. It is somewhat of note that Ohio’s greatest blizzards on record occurred during the “8” years. 1918, 1978, and now 2008.
The first image below is a model snow depth forecast ending on March 9th. The second is a photo of the heavy snow in Columbus during the evening of the 7th.
Snow in Hilltop, Columbus.
Here are some videos during the storm. Cincinnati
Cleveland
Columbus
Historic winter storms from other months and years, along with many more records, can be found under Weather History And to look up current weather and local forecasts go here: Wilmington National Weather Service
