In 1977, Cleveland Plunged Into An Arctic Freeze That Makes This Year’s Winter Look Downright Mild
Cleveland experienced one of its coldest winters on record in 1977, with temperatures staying below zero for 58 hours and a record-setting 20 days below zero.
Winter in Ohio can be so unpredictable. Generally, we can expect several healthy snowfalls, a "big one" or two, and a few deep freezes. Some winters are mild and some are super snowy, but few were as chilly as the Winter of 1977 in Cleveland, Ohio:
Locals remember the winters of 1976-77 and 1977-78 as two of the coldest in Cleveland's history.
The freezing cold conditions of the Winter of 1977 in Cleveland, Ohio, have permanently engraved that winter into the memories of those who lived through it. What do you remember about this icy year? Share your memories in the comments!
Have you seen this frozen Cleveland lighthouse? It is common knowledge that water freezes once it becomes cold enough. Roads get slippery and icy as winter arrives, and puddles become frozen mirrors. However, freezing temperatures in Cleveland involve so much more than just these familiar occurrences. Winter in Cleveland brings with it an otherworldly sort of beauty, and locals can't get enough of it.
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In 2010, it seemed as if the whole world was gazing in awe at this Lake Erie frozen lighthouse.
Days of wintry winds churned Lake Erie, forcing its waters to form dramatic waves. As the waves danced on the surface of the lake, they splashed and shaped a familiar lighthouse into an incredible ice sculpture.
The frozen Cleveland lighthouse was the Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Lighthouse, which dates back to 1911.
This lighthouse, which is situated where the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie meet, has frozen in the presence of wintry winds since 2010. And it's not the only thing that has frozen and transformed into an extravagant ice sculpture ...
... the entirety of Cleveland's coast, it seems, transforms into an otherworldly ice garden in the winter months.
As winds and unusual weather patterns continue to bring both rain and waves to Cleveland's frozen landscape, wintertime looks different each and every year.
That's right, while this frozen Cleveland lighthouse is amazing to see, there are plenty of other places to gawk at. In the presence of wind and waves, everything from branches to fishing piers become alien structures in a frozen landscape.
April showers bring May flowers, but there's no reason to beware of the ice of March! Such structures, like the Lake Erie frozen lighthouse are, in their own way, just as lovely as floral blooms.
With so much beauty to offer, it is no wonder locals are drawn to Lake Erie and lighthouses in Ohio in every season.
Winter in Greater Cleveland can be brutal, thanks largely to the wonders of lake effect snow. However, Lake Erie also gives us a winter wonderland of unrivaled beauty. Have you ever visited this Lake Erie frozen lighthouse? What are your favorite lighthouses in Ohio?
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As it grows colder in The Land, locals dread the freezing white terror that lurks right around the corner. Since we have been seeing snow flurries as of late, many have inevitably found themselves reminiscing on the ghosts of Cleveland winters past. With a norm of unusual weather patterns, it is no wonder winter in Cleveland offers so much to talk about. These nine winter storms in Cleveland, however, were all the talk of the town in their day, and they have left a mark on the Clevelanders who experienced them.
This storm was known by those afflicted as the "Big Blow" or the "White Hurricane," and it truly lived up to its reputation. From November 6 to November 11, the Great Lakes region braced as hurricane-force winds battered the area. As you can guess, this was no ordinary storm; it was an extratropical cyclone, a weather pattern that rained whiteout snow squalls over Cleveland. Twenty-two inches of snow coated The Land by November 11, and locals were snowed in without power for days. Millions of dollars worth of vessels and cargo were lost on the Great Lakes, and an astonishing 250 lives were lost.
The winter season between 1918 and 1919 was a memorable one for Clevelanders of the era. The season was slightly warmer with an average temperature of 39.4 degrees. Only 13 days would soar above 50 that season, yet locals experienced only 8.8 inches of snow. That's a long way from our average 60 inches of snow, but locals weren't complaining!
On Thanksgiving Day, the temperature was a brisk seven degrees Fahrenheit. Low pressure moved in from Virginia the following day, resulting in a blizzard that would batter the region until November 28. Twenty-one inches of snow fell, which might have been more manageable if more than 10,000 abandoned cars hadn't blocked snow removal. The storm cost the city over $1 million and 23 lives.
On January 26, a blizzard rolled in over Cleveland. As its eye passed over the city, the National Weather Service recorded a barometric pressure of 28.28, a level that is lower than that of most hurricanes. What kind of havoc came with the lowest barometric pressure level in state history? Wind chills of -100 degrees, winds at 50 miles per hour, paired with gusts at an unbelievable 82 miles per hour, and a federal disaster. Roads closed, and along with travel, businesses closed down for days as well. Some areas experienced food shortages, and Ohio experienced an unfortunate loss of 51 lives.
If you lived anywhere between Ohio and the Gulf Coast, chances are that you remember January 19, 1994. An area of high pressure, unusually cold and vast, of course, swooped in over the Ohio Valley. Clevelanders had their furnaces and fireplaces generating heat non-stop, but they couldn't stave off the creep of bitter cold as temperatures dropped to a historic -20 degrees. Though it is remembered as the coldest day in Cleveland history, locals were lucky: in the Akron area, thermometers reported a nippy -25 degrees, and further away, in quaint Millersburg, temperatures dropped to 35 below zero. Brrr!
Each year, snowfall for the City of Cleveland is measured at the Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Our average annual snowfall is 60 inches, but in the 2004 to 2005 season, that number was nearly doubled:117.9 inches of snow was dumped upon the region that season, making it the snowiest in Cleveland history.
In December of 2010, unusually cold weather blasted the eastern half of the nation. On December 13, an unrelenting wind began to blow over Lake Erie, churning the cold waters of the Great Lake for days on end. As waves crashed against the Cleveland Harbor West Lighthouse, a curious thing occurred. The lighthouse became encased, layer by layer, in an icy coating. This unusual winter feature enthralled locals, who gathered along the coast with cameras to capture the unusual moment in time.
February of 2015 was brutal, and many Clevelanders will never forget the year. By February 19, the temperature had already dipped below zero seven times since New Year's Day. The following day was bitterly cold, and it went down in history as one of the coldest days Clevelanders have ever experienced. Temperatures dropped to 17 below zero, and an unforgiving wind chill made it feel like it was -25 or colder. If you found yourself caught in the unintentional wind tunnel that is Downtown, your experience doubtlessly chilled you to the bone.
February of 2017 broke records, but not for the same reason as these other unforgettable winter days. February of 2017 was the warmest we have ever experienced. The month's average temperature was 41 degrees, beating the previous 37.5 degrees that had once seemed so generous. The warming was caused by a combination of strong southerly winds bringing in tropical weather from the Gulf of Mexico and a warm front. Amazingly, Cleveland recorded its warmest-ever February day that year, with temperatures soaring to 75 degrees on February 24.
Winter is a season we've all learned to live with, but those occasional 70-degree February days ensure that we never fully adapt to winter in Ohio. Fortunately, the landscape is beautiful during the winter, making the hectic season more tolerable and somehow worthwhile.
Ready for that snow to stick? You'll fall in love with these incredible winter destinations across Cleveland. If you're looking for a great place to stay while visiting Cleveland, we highly recommend the always-reliable Vrbo, where you can rent out entire homes ranging from sleep apartments to cozy cabins.
