Does it snow in Ohio?

Known as The Buckeye State, The Birthplace of Aviation, and The Heart of It All, Ohio, the 34th-largest by area and the 7th-most populous in the U.S. states, with a population of 11,780,017 inhabitants and a land area of 44,825 squares thousands, boasts the highest level of population density in the entire Midwest.

Ohio is the second most populous state in the Northeast Central Division: one of the five most populous territorial divisions in the United States.

In contrast to the bustle of its metropolises, Ohio is home to the largest Amish community in the world: one of the most austere religious and rural communities of the Contemporary Age.

Since 1808, the Amish have developed an impressive and picturesque religious community in Holmes County, indifferent to advancing technology and attached to austerity, solidarity, and fieldwork.

Due to the enormous cultural contrast between modern society and the Ohio Amish community, this territory has become a great tourist attraction, an opportunity that the Amish take advantage of to sell their famous crops and products.

Beyond the prestige afforded by cities like Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, Ohio also has beautiful natural tourist attractions like the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Lake Erie Islands, famous for their warm waters and spectacular fall scenery.

Visit Ohio and enjoy the many tourist attractions that the state offers its visitors. From beautiful villages like the German Village of Columbus and the Holmes County Amish Community to unique museums like the National Museum of United States Air Forces, without forgetting its beautiful natural attractions like the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Lake Erie Islands.

Snow in Ohio? ❄

Despite having a predominantly temperate climate (Cfa and Cfb) in more than half of its total area, due to its privileged location within the Snowbelt, Ohio boasts one of the highest levels of average annual snow accumulation in the Midwestern United States.

Due to the meteorological phenomenon known as Lake-effect snow, the region known as the Snowbelt, to which almost all Ohio counties belong, is prone to moderate and severe snowstorms throughout the winter.

On average, Ohio's annual snowfall rate is 29.134 inches (74 cm). Although, this level tends to be much higher as you travel east and north of the state, especially in the mountainous region of northeast Ohio, where the average annual snowfall can even exceed 100 inches (254 cm).

In short, it does snow in Ohio! In fact, it is not strange to start seeing light snowfalls in October, nor is it abnormal to see how they still fall during early spring.

The climate of Ohio ⛅

OHIO WEATHER

General characteristics

According to the Köppen climate classification, counting types and subtypes, Ohio exhibits up four climate types throughout its territory: humid subtropical (Cfa), Oceanic (Cfb), hot-summer humid continental (Dfa), and warm-summer humid continental (Dfb).

Due to such diversity, any general explication of the characteristics of Ohio's climate is useless since these aspects will depend exclusively on the prevailing climatological factors in each of the Ohio regions. However, in general terms, it can be stated that:

• It is possible to distinguish four distinct seasons in Ohio.
• Ohio summers are hot, with average temperatures ranging from 68°F (20 °C) in the far northeast to 75.2°F (24 °C) in the south.
• Ohio winters are cold and prone to sudden changes in temperature.
• Ohio's annual rainfall ranges from 47.24 to 38.189 inches (120-97 cm) of accumulation.
• Snow is a recurring weather phenomenon in Ohio, especially in the northeastern mountainous region of the state, where average snow accumulation can easily exceed 100 inches (254 cm).

Technical characteristics 

Some of the following technical characteristics have been calculated by averaging climatological data for the following cities of Ohio: Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, and Dayton.

• Climate types (Köppen climate classification):
  • Humid subtropical (Cfa.)
  • Oceanic (Cfb.)
  • Hot-summer humid continental (Dfa.)
  • Warm-summer humid continental (Dfb.)
• Average maximum temperatures in winter: 41.46 °F (5.2 °C.)
• Average maximum temperatures in spring: 65.71 °F (18.7 °C.)
• Average maximum temperatures in fall: 57.58 °F (14.2 °C.)
• Average maximum temperatures in summer: 79.92 °F (26.6 °C.)
• Average minimum temperatures in winter: 27.25 °F (-2.6 °C.)
• Average minimum temperatures in spring: 47.71 °F (8.7 °C.)
• Average minimum temperatures in fall: 42 °F (5.5 °C.)
• Average minimum temperatures in summer: 62.33 °F (16.8 °C.)
• Average monthly rainfall in winter: 1.83 inches (4.6 cm.)
• Average monthly rainfall in spring: 2.95 inches (7.5 cm.)
• Average monthly rainfall in fall: 2.42 inches (6.1 cm.)
• Average monthly rainfall in summer: 2.90 inches (7.3 cm.)
• Average monthly snowfall in winter: 2.67 inches (6.7 cm.)
• Average monthly snowfall in spring: 0.57 inches (1.4 cm.)
• Average monthly snowfall in fall: 0.61 inches (1.5 cm.)
• Average annual rainfall: 7 inches (17.7 cm.)
• Hottest region: Interior Low Plateau.
• Highest record temperature: 113 °F / 45 °C (July 21, 1934. Gallipolis, Gallia County.)
• Coldest region: Glaciated Allegheny Plateaus and Huron-Erie Lake Plains.
• Lowest record temperature: -36.4 °F / -38 °C (February 10, 1899. Milligan, Perry County.)
• Snowiest month: February.
• Coldest month: January.

When does it snow in Ohio? 🌨

Does it snow in Ohio in October?

Yes, it might snow in October. Light snowfall is possible in Putnam, Logan, Fulton, Henry, Darke, Paulding, Shelby, Champaign, Columbiana, Delaware, Morrow, and Geauga counties.

Does it snow in Ohio in November?

Yes, it does! While the odds are slim, measurable snowfall can be seen in all Ohio counties beginning this month, especially in the far northern counties of the state.

Does it snow in Ohio in December?

Yes, it does! Once the start begins, the snowfalls intensify throughout the state of Ohio, especially in the central and northern counties of the state, which are the most affected by the Lake-effect snow.

In 2017, four of Ohio's six major cities (Toledo, Dayton, Cleveland, and Cincinnati) received between 1 and 3.5 inches of snow during Christmas.

Does it snow in Ohio in January?

Yes, it does! January is Ohio's second snowiest month, so it's not uncommon to see snowfalls exceeding two inches on average, even in counties in the extreme south of the state.

Does it snow in Ohio in February?

Yes, it does! Relative to the previous month, snowfall increased slightly in almost all Ohio counties. For this reason, February is considered the snowiest month of the year in Ohio.

Does it snow in Ohio in March?

Yes, it does! Even though snowfall decreases in intensity and frequency, in March, it is still possible to see snowfall greater than or equal to an inch of accumulation on average in all Ohio counties.

Does it snow in Ohio in April?

Yes, it might snow in April. However, the odds begin to diminish the further south you go from the extreme northeast of Ohio.

Where does it snow in Ohio? 🌨

Below, we present a map of the territorial division of the state of Ohio in which the distribution of snowfall in the eighty-eight counties that make up the state is roughly exemplified:

1. In this case, the darker the blue color, the higher the average snow accumulation for the county in its snowiest month (February).
2. This map is not an exact definition but rather an approximation of the behavior of snowfall in Ohio since only its administrative centers are taken into account and not all the cities and towns that make up the county at the time of its creation.

How much does it snow in Ohio? 🌨

Next, we expose a comparison chart of the average snow accumulation throughout a sliding 31-day period (centered on the day in question) in the eighty-eight county seats of Ohio:

The numbers shown in the table above represent inches.