Tag Archives: Ohio winters

Winter 2024-2025 Review

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Winter 2024-2025 review

Winter 2024-2025 was the 4th season in a row in which snowfall was well below normal. Only a single winter in the past 10- 2017-2018- has had above normal snowfall, and only just. Two others- 2018-2019 and 2020-2021- had near normal snowfall, though still slightly below the 30-year average, and the other 7 have been significantly below normal. Average winter snowfall for the past decade has been just 17.8″, more than 10″ below the 1991-2020 average. Additionally, the 2024-2025 season lacked a 6″ snowfall, either daily or in any single event. There has been no 6″ snowfall since February 22, 2015, the second longest such period since records began.
The December-February period was colder than normal, and it was the coldest heart of winter since 2014-2015. This was thanks largely to January, which also featured the majority of the season’s snowfall.



December-February
Traditional winter numbers, 1991-2020 departures from normal where relevant, and overall winter rankings.
Rankings are accurate as of the time of the post.
Average High: 38.1 (-1.7) 44th Coldest
Average Low: 23.6 (-0.9) 45th Coldest
Mean: 30.8 (-1.4) Tied for 39th Coldest
Coldest High: 11 on January 20th
Coldest Low: -3 on January 22nd
Coldest Mean: 5.5 on January 21st
# of 32 or Below Highs: 29 (+3.2) 21st Most
# of 32 or Below Lows: 72 (+3.2) 17th Most
Warmest High: 65 on February 3rd
Warmest Low: 51 on December 28th
Warmest Mean: 57 on December 28th
Precipitation: 8.11″ (-0.43″) 59th Wettest
Snowfall: 14.6″ (-13.6″) 46th Least Snowy
Average Daily Snow Depth: 0.6″ (-0.2″) Tied for 7th Lowest
Maximum Snow Depth: 5″ on January 6th and 11th.
Largest Snowstorm: 4.4″ on January 5th-6th.
1″+ Snowfall Events: 7 Tied for 8th Fewest
# of Measurable Precipitation Days: 37 (-2.1) Tied for 13th Fewest
# of Measurable Snowfall Days: 15 (-6.4) Tied for 11th Fewest
Highest Average Daily Wind Speed in MPH: 19.2 on December 5th
Highest Wind Gust in MPH: 55 on December 5th
# of Clear Days: 4 4.44%
# of Partly Cloudy Days: 39 43.33%
# of Cloudy Days: 47 52.23%

Entire Cold Season: October-April
Average High: 52.7 9th Warmest
Average Low: 34.1 18th Warmest
Mean: 43.4 9th Warmest
Precipitation: 18.66″ 56th Wettest
Snowfall: 14.8″ 29th Least Snowy
Average Snow Depth: 0.3″ Tied for 4th Lowest
Largest Snowstorm: 4.4″ on January 5th-6th
# of 32 or Below Highs: 30 Tied for 21st Fewest
# of 32 or Below Lows: 96 Tied for 17th Fewest
# of Measurable Precipitation Days: 74 Tied for 9th Fewest
# of Measurable Snowfall Days: 17 Tied for 8th Fewest
Highest Average Daily Wind Speed in MPH: 19.2 on December 5th
Highest Wind Gust in MPH: 59 on April 29th
# of Clear Days: 34 16.04%
# of Partly Cloudy Days: 90 42.45%
# of Cloudy Days: 88 41.51%

Winter 2024-2024 Review high per month

High Temperature Records Set
11/1/2024- A record warm high of 78 was set for the date, breaking the old record of 77 set in 2022.
11/5/2024- A record warm high of 79 was set for the date, breaking the old record of 77 set in 2022.
2/3/2025- A record warm high of 65 was set for the date, breaking the old record of 63 set in 1890.
3/14/2025- A record warm high of 79 was set for the date, breaking the old record of 78 set in 1990.

Winter 2024-2025 review low by month

Low Temperature Records Set
10/30/2024- A record warm low of 59 degrees was tied for the date, matching the previous record set in 2004.
11/5/2024- A record warm low of 62 was tied for the date, matching the old record set in 2022.
3/29/2025- A record warm low of 63 was set for the date, breaking the old record of 59 set in 1977.

Winter 2024-2025 review mean temperature by month

Winter 2024-2025 review precipitation by month

Precipitation Records Set
None set.

Winter 2024-2025 review snow by month

Snowfall Records Set
10/15/2024- A record 0.1″ of snowfall occurred for the date. It was the first recorded instance of measurable snowfall for the date.

Forecast for what would be Columbus’ largest snowfall of the season.

Winter 2024-2025 review average snow depth by month

Winter 2024-2025 review warm high by month

Winter 2024-2025 review coldest high by month

Winter 2024-2025 review warmest low by month

Winter 2024-2025 review coldest low by month

Highest Daily Precipitation by Month
October 2024: 0.12″ on the 15th
November 2024: 0.97″ on the 14th
December 2024: 1.03″ on the 29th
January 2025: 0.24″ on the 18th
February 2025: 1.15″ on the 16th
March 2025: 0.65″ on the 30th
April 2025: 1.88″ on the 3rd

Highest Daily Snowfall By Month
October 2024: 0.1″ on the 15th
November 2024: 0.1″ on the 21st
December 2024: 0.3″ on the 11th
January 2025: 2.4″ on the 6th
February 2025: 1.9″ on the 16th
March 2025: Trace on multiple days.
April 2025: Trace on the 6th and 7th

Deepest Snow Depth By Month
October 2024: 0″ on all days.
November 2024: Trace on the 29th
December 2024: Trace on the 12th and 13th
January 2025: 5″ on the 6th and 11th
February 2025: 2″ on the 17th and 18th
March 2025: Trace on the 17th
April 2025: 0″ on all days.

Winter 2024-2025 review average wind speed by month

Highest Wind Gust by Month in MPH
October 2024: 46 on the 13th
November 2024: 43 on the 20th
December 2024: 55 on the 5th
January 2025: 38 on the 16th
February 2025: 43 on the 28th
March 2025: 53 on the 30th
April 2025: 59 on the 29th

Clear Days by Month
October 2024: 18 58.06%
November 2024: 3 10.0%
December 2024: 0 0.0%
January 2025: 3 9.68%
February 2025: 1 3.57%
March 2025: 4 12.9%
April 2025: 5 16.67%

Partly Cloudy Days by Month
October 2024: 12 38.71%
November 2024: 11 36.67%
December 2024: 12 38.71%
January 2025: 13 41.94%
February 2025: 14 50.0%
March 2025: 17 54.84%
April 2025: 11 36.66%

Cloudy Days by Month
October 2024: 1 3.23%
November 2024: 16 53.33%
December 2024: 19 61.29%
January 2025: 15 48.39%
February 2025: 13 46.43%
March 2025: 10 32.26%
April 2025: 14 46.67%

Winter 2023-2024 Review

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The Winter 2023-2024 review is finally here, and it shows that yet another cold season never really showed up. 2023-2024 was a top 5 warmest winter on record. Outside of a short break in January, warmth persisted for almost the entire winter, likely courtesy of the strong El Niño. This contributed to well below normal snowfall.
The below stats represent both the traditional winter season of December-February, and also the overall cold season of October-April. Rankings are accurate as to the time of the posting.

December-February
Traditional winter numbers, 1991-2020 departures from normal where relevant, and overall winter rankings.
Average High: 45.7 (+5.9) 5th Warmest
Average Low: 30.2 (+5.7) 6th Warmest
Mean: 37.9 (+5.7) 5th Warmest
Coldest High: 16 on January 15th and 16th
Coldest Low: 6 on January 15th and 20th
Coldest Mean: 11 on January 15th
# of 32 or Below Highs: 9 (-16.8) Tied for 4th Fewest
# of 32 or Below Lows: 53 (-15.8) 5th Fewest
Warmest High: 67 on February 26th and 27th
Warmest Low: 56 on February 27th
Warmest Mean: 62 on February 27th
Precipitation: 9.29″ (+0.75″) 38th Wettest
Snowfall: 12.4″ (-9.8″) 37th Least Snowiest
Average Daily Snow Depth: 0.2″ (-0.6″) Tied for 3rd Lowest
Maximum Snow Depth: 4″ on February 17th
Largest Snowstorm: 4.4″ on February 16th
1″+ Snowfall Events: 3 Tied for 4th Fewest
# of Measurable Precipitation Days: 37 (-2.1) Tied for 13th Fewest
# of Measurable Snowfall Days: 13 (-8.4) Tied for 9th Fewest
Highest Average Daily Wind Speed in MPH: 20.8 on January 13th
Highest Wind Gust in MPH: 53 on February 28th
# of Clear Days: 12 13.19%
# of Partly Cloudy Days: 23 25.27%
# of Cloudy Days: 56 61.54%

Entire Cold Season: October-April
Average High: 54.7 2nd Warmest
Average Low: 36.6 6th Warmest
Mean: 45.6 3rd Warmest
Precipitation: 22.82″ 32nd Wettest
Snowfall: 12.6″ 22nd Least Snowiest
Average Snow Depth: 0.1″ Tied for 2nd Lowest
Largest Snowstorm: 4.4″ on February 16th
# of 32 or Below Highs: 10 Tied for 1st Fewest
# of 32 or Below Lows: 84 7th Fewest
# of Measurable Precipitation Days: 76 Tied for 11th Fewest
# of Measurable Snowfall Days: 14 Tied for 5th Fewest
Highest Average Daily Wind Speed in MPH: 20.8 on January 13th
Highest Wind Gust in MPH: 53 on February 28th
# of Clear Days: 30 14.1%
# of Partly Cloudy Days: 62 29.1%
# of Cloudy Days: 121 56.8%

Average High By Month
October 2023: 67.0 Tied for 34th Warmest
November 2023: 54.8 Tied for 18th Warmest
December 2023: 48.4 5th Warmest
January 2024: 37.4 Tied for 50th Warmest
February 2024: 51.8 Tied for 2nd Warmest
March 2024: 56.6 12th Warmest
April 2024: 66.9 Tied for 12th Warmest

High Temperature Records Set
2/28/2024- A record high of 67 was set, breaking the old record of 65 set in 1939.

Average Low By Month
October 2023: 48.2 Tied for 21st Warmest
November 2023: 33.7 Tied for 33rd Coldest
December 2023: 35.3 2nd Warmest
January 2024: 25.9 27th Warmest
February 2024: 29.2 16th Warmest
March 2024: 36.4 Tied for 19th Warmest
April 2024: 47.0 3rd Warmest

Low Temperature Records Set
10/28/2023- A record warm minimum of 62 was set, breaking the old record of 61 set in 1918.
2/10/2024- A record warm minimum of 49 was set, breaking the old record of 47 set in 1938.
2/27/2024- A record warm minimum of 56 was set, breaking the old record of 48 set in 1996.

Mean By Month
October 2023: 57.6 22nd Warmest
November 2023: 44.2 Tied for 26th Warmest
December 2023: 41.8 Tied for 4th Warmest
January 2024: 31.7 Tied for 43rd Warmest
February 2024: 40.5 5th Warmest
March 2024: 46.5 Tied for 14th Warmest
April 2024: 57.0 6th Warmest

Precipitation By Month
October 2023: 3.11″ Tied for 34th Wettest
November 2023: 1.89″ 40th Driest
December 2023: 3.25″ Tied for 44th Wettest
January 2024: 4.81″ 16th Wettest
February 2024: 1.23″ 20th Driest
March 2024: 2.66″ 49th Driest
April 2024: 5.87″ 8th Wettest

Precipitation Records Set
1/9/2024- A record of 1.44″ was set, breaking the old record of 0.86″ set in 1898.
2/2/2024- A record of 2.05″ was set, breaking the old record of 1.51″ set in 1977.

Snowfall By Month
October 2023: Trace Tied for 2nd Least Snowiest
November 2023: Trace Tied for 2nd Least Snowiest
December 2023: 0.4″ Tied for 6th Least Snowiest
January 2024: 5.0″ Tied for 37th Least Snowiest
February 2024: 7.0″ Tied for 40th Snowiest
March 2024: 0.2″ Tied for 3rd Least Snowiest
April 2024: Trace Tied for 2nd Least Snowiest

2023-2024 was the 9th consecutive season that had no snowfall events above 5″. This is the 2nd longest such period on record, surpassed only by the 14-year stretch of 1919-1933.

Average Snow Depth By Month
October 2023: 0.0″
November 2023: Trace
December 2023: Trace
January 2024: 0.2″
February 2024: 0.4″
March 2024: 0.0″
April 2024: 0.0″

Maximum High By Month
October 2023: 87 on the 2nd and 3rd
November 2023: 73 on the 8th
December 2023: 62 on the 25th
January 2024: 61 on the 26th
February 2024: 67 on the 26th and 27th
March 2024: 75 on the 4th
April 2024: 84 on the 16th and 29th

Minimum High By Month
October 2023: 47 on the 31st
November 2023: 30 on the 28th
December 2023: 34 on the 19th
January 2024: 16 on the 15th and 16th
February 2024: 27 on the 17th
March 2024: 36 on the 18th
April 2024: 45 on the 5th

Maximum Low By Month
October 2023: 63 on the 5th
November 2023: 46 on the 7th
December 2023: 51 on the 26th
January 2024: 48 on the 25th
February 2024: 56 on the 27th
March 2024: 51 on the 5th
April 2024: 64 on the 27th and 28th

Minimum Low By Month
October 2023: 29 on the 31st
November 2023: 17 on the 29th
December 2023: 22 on the 14th
January 2024: 6 on the 15th and 20th
February 2024: 13 on the 18th
March 2024: 23 on the 21st and 24th
April 2024: 31 on the 7th

Highest Daily Precipitation by Month
October 2023: 0.72″ on the 19th
November 2023: 0.93″ on the 21st
December 2023: 0.6″ on the 17th
January 2024: 1.44″ on the 9th
February 2024: 0.72″ on the 22nd
March 2024: 0.44″ on the 26th
April 2024: 2.05″ on the 2nd

Highest Daily Snowfall By Month
October 2023: Trace on the 31st
November 2023: Trace on the 27th
December 2023: 0.3″ on the 18th
January 2024: 2.2″ on the 19th
February 2024: 4.4″ on the 16th
March 2024: 0.2″ on the 10th
April 2024: Trace on the 4th and 17th

Deepest Snow Depth By Month
October 2023: 0.0″ on all days.
November 2023: 0.0″ on all days.
December 2023: Trace on the 19th
January 2024: 2″ on the 20th
February 2024: 4″ on the 17th
March 2024: 0.0″ on all days.
April 2024: 0.0″ on all days.

Average Daily Wind Speed by Month in MPH
October 2023: 7.0
November 2023: 7.2
December 2023: 7.3
January 2024: 9.2
February 2024: 8.0
March 2024: 9.3
April 2024: 9.4

Highest Wind Gust by Month in MPH
October 2023: 34 on the 6th
November 2023: 35 on the 27th
December 2023: 43 on the 18th
January 2024: 44 on the 13th
February 2024: 53 on the 28th
March 2024: 47 on the 14th
April 2024: 43 on the 12th and 17th

Clear Days by Month
October 2023: 5 16.13%
November 2023: 10 33.33%
December 2023: 4 12.9%
January 2024: 0 0.0%
February 2024: 7 24.14%
March 2024: 3 9.68%
April 2024: 3 10.0%

Partly Cloudy Days by Month
October 2023: 11 35.48%
November 2023: 13 43.33%
December 2023: 7 22.58%
January 2024: 8 25.81%
February 2024: 17 58.62%
March 2024: 18 58.06%
April 2024: 15 50.0%

Cloudy Days by Month
October 2023: 15 48.39%
November 2023: 7 23.33%
December 2023: 20 64.52%
January 2024: 23 74.19%
February 2024: 5 17.24%
March 2024: 10 32.26%
April 2024: 12 40.0%

The overall cold period saw relatively fewer cloudy days than normal. December and January were cloudier than normal, but November, February and March were less so than normal.

Other Notable Winter 2023-2024 Events

The Columbus Tornado History page gives greater detail on the February 28th, March 14th and April 2nd tornadic events.

El Niño and Columbus Winter History

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Columbus winter history El Niño

A small snow event should affect the Columbus area today into tomorrow morning, with forecasts calling for up to 2″ of snow when all’s said and done. While by no means a significant event, it could end up being one of the largest snowfalls of the entire 2023-2024 winter season. The reason- El Niño.

El Niño winters in Ohio tend to be much warmer than normal with much below normal snowfall. This is especially true when the El Niño is moderate to strong, as it is now. Let’s take a look back at how different ENSO states (or El Nino Southern Oscillation) produced different results in Columbus winter history.

ENSO conditions come in 3 different forms- El Niño, which is when the Equatorial Pacific is warmer than normal, Neutral, when the waters are neither cold nor warm, and La Niña, which features colder than normal Equatorial Pacific waters.
Since the 1950-1951 season, there have been 24 Neutral seasons, 25 La Niña seasons and 25 El Niño seasons, so the breakdown has been very even. Because there is a lag because Pacific water temperatures and atmospheric response, the conditions that affect winter weather can typically be traced back to Fall water temperatures rather than winter. To see how 2023-2024 might shape up, we have to look at the September-October-November Pacific water temperature anomalies. During that time, the anomaly was +1.8. Which seasons had an anomaly of +1.5 to +2 during September-October-November? As it turns out, not very many- only 1965, 1972, 1982 and 1987.

How were those 4 subsequent winters in terms of temperature and snowfall?
Mean Temperature
1965-1966: 29.4
1972-1973: 32.8
1982-1983: 34.7
1987-1988: 30.5
Avg: 31.9
Temperatures overall were somewhat split, with 2 winters being slightly below normal and 2 winters with well-above normal temperatures, with the average of the 4 being slightly above.
Snowfall
1965-1966: 17.5″
1972-1973: 24.5″
1982-1983: 11.5″
1987-1988: 23.9″
Avg: 19.4″
Snowfall was well below normal in all 4 seasons, with an average of about 8″ below normal.
The snowfall that did fall typically came in 1-2 moderate events with very little otherwise.
1965-1966
5.9″ 1/22/66
3.7″ 2/1/66
1.2″ 1/29/66
1965-1966 had a few moderate events, but the 3 days here were the only 3 days during the entire winter that featured an inch or more of daily snowfall. This winter also occurred during a generally snowier, colder decade.
1972-1973
6.3″ 4/12/1973
4.0″ 11/30/1972
2.1″ 3/17/1973
1972-1973 again featured a few moderate events as well that contained the bulk of the season’s snow. The interesting thing about this winter is that those events occurred outside of the main December-January-February heart of winter.
1982-1983
1.9″ 2/6/1983, 3/11/1983
1.1″ 1/15/1983
1.0″ 12/10/1982
1982-1983 ended up being what’s called a Super ENSO event, with a very strong El Niño. Temperatures were very warm the entire winter, and snowfall was less than 50% of normal.
1987-1988
4.7″ 1/25/1988
1.8″ 12/3/1987
1.6″ 2/11/1988
1987-1988 only had a single moderate event, with most other snowfalls during the season amounting to a few tenths.

Bottom line: Don’t expect major snowfalls this winter.

Now, these are just 4 seasons. Other slightly stronger or weaker El Niño seasons produced very different results. Furthermore, the orientation of where the warmest water is in the Pacific can have very different outcomes. For example, if the warmer water is hugging the coast of South America, winters tend to be warmer and snowless, but if that warmer water is centered further west in the Pacific, winters can be very cold and snowy. For example, both the winters of 2002-2003 and 2009-2010 were west-based El Niño seasons, and they were historically snowy and cold winters. 2023-2024 is decidedly an east-based Niño, however, so it’s unlikely we will see anything but a rather boring winter with warmer than normal temperatures and below average snowfall. Obviously, depending on your viewpoint, that could be a very good thing.

Winter 2013-2014 Review

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Winter 2013-2014 review

For a good portion of the US, the winter of 2013-2014 was one of the worst, if not the worst, in recent memory. Cold and snow hit early in the season and didn’t let up until the first half of March. Now that April is behind us (the last month that snow typically might fall during a season), we can take a look back at the Winter 2013-2014 Review.

A Look Back at Snowfall
For many in Central Ohio, winter provided its first taste on October 23rd, when a cold front briefly changed rain to a wet snow that coated car tops. This was merely a prelude to what would come.

2013-14 Winter Snowfall vs. Normal
Winter 2013-2014 review total snowfall

November Notable Snow Events
November 11-12th, 2013: This was the first real accumulating snowfall of the season, dropping a general 1″-2″ across the area. The highest total in Franklin County was 2″ reported just southeast of Clintonville. A map of the event can be found here.

November 26th-27th, 2013: The months 2nd and larger event occurred towards the end of the month, and dropped 1″-4″ across the county, with the higher totals on the east side of Columbus. A map of the event can be found here.
Winter 2013-2014 review November 2013 snow events
The November total of 4.7″, while not anywhere near record breaking, was a top 20 snowiest, coming in at #14. November 2013 was also the snowiest Columbus had seen since 1972, when 6.3″ fell.

December Notable Snow Events
December 6th, 2013: This was the first major event of the season. A low pressure center brought rain to the area on the 5th. As temperatures cooled, rain gradually changed to freezing rain and then heavy snow, dropping 3″-6″ across the area. A map of this event can be found here.

December 10th, 2013: The second event of the month was a persistent band of snow that set up alon I-71. The cold air produced high ratios, dropping 1″-3″. http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/events/20131210/

December 14th, 2013: Rain changed to snow along and north of I-71. http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/events/20131214/
Winter 2013-2014 review December 2013 snow events
December’s 12.7″ total was 2 1/2x normal, and the first 10 days of the month were the snowiest on record. It also made the month the 8th snowiest December on record. Further, it was the 2nd consecutive above average December and the 5th since 2007 to be so.

January Notable Snow Events
January 2nd, 2014: The new year started off as snowy as the previous ended, when a low pressure brought occasionally heavy snow and 3″-5″ across the city. http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/events/20140102/

January 18th-19th, 2014: A clipper system, Columbus’ most reliable snow producer, brought 1″-2″ across the area. http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/events/20140119/

January 25th-26th, 2014: The months’ signature event, a strong storm brough a mixed bag of precipitation, including heavy snow to parts of the city. As the storm passed, additional snow squalls developed into the 26th and brought occasional whiteout conditions. Columbus’ official 2-day total was 8.3″. A map of the event can be found here, though it only lists totals for the 25th:

All told, the 17.7″ of snow for the month was the 16th snowiest on record, and the 8.3″ snow event tied for the 10th largest January event since records began.
Winter 2013-2014 review January 2014 snow events

February Notable Snow Events
February 4th-5th, 2014: A low pressure brought heavy snow and mixed precipitation to the area, and proved to be winter’s largest snow event with 6″-10″ across the city. The 10.6″ at Columbus was the largest storm of the winter, tied as the 3rd largest February snowstorm, and provided the 7th largest daily February snowfall. http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/events/20140205/

February 9th, 2014: A weak system brought 1″-3″. http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/events/20140209/

February 14th-15th, 2014: Valentines Day brought a storm that skimmed the area with 2″-4″, with much higher totals to the south. http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/events/20140215/
Winter 2013-2014 review February 2014 snow events
February’s 15.9″ of snow was the 6th snowiest on record.

March Notable Snow Events
March 2nd-3rd, 2014: A low pressure brought 2-3″ over the city. http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/events/20140302/

March 29th, 2014: A storm brought in 1″-2″ in spring’s first week. http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/events/20140329/

March did not break any records or have any large events, but it was more or less a capping month to a winter that kept snowing.
Winter 2013-2014 review March 2014 snow events

April saw just one snow event, on the 15th, when half an inch to 1″ fell, ending the snowfall season.

So ultimately, 2013-2014’s 56.4″ of snow ranks it as the 3rd snowiest winter since records began in 1878. It was also the #1 snowiest meteorological winter (December-February) on record. The graph below shows the top 10 snowiest winters. Notice that 4 of the 10 have occurred since 2002, with 3 since 2007. Are we possibly entering a snowier period? That remains to be seen.
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