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Severe Thunderstorm Warning canceled; High Wind Warning still in place; over 100k still without power

Several roads closed due to wind damage

Cleveland forecast from the Power of 5 weather team

By: Katie McGraw , Phil Sakal , News 5 Staff

Posted at 2:35 PM, Mar 24, 2023

and last updated 2023-03-25 22:14:09-04

The high winds Saturday afternoon are causing downed trees and power lines, resulting in widespread power outages in Northeast Ohio.

Power outages
As of about 10 p.m., over 100,000 FirstEnergy customers in Northeast Ohio are without power, according to FirstEnergy's outage map.

Cleveland Public Power has issued a statement about time of restoration:

We have crews out but there is no time frame for restorations. We're not sure if this will go into tomorrow. We really don't have restoration times at this time.

Cleveland Public Power

The City of Elyria released this statement regarding the damage throughout the city as a result of the storm:

Damaging winds are blowing down trees and power lines in the city. The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning at 4pm Saturday. The warning is effective until midnight. 

City crews have been throughout the city responding to the damage. The forestry department has been assisting in clearing tree damage. The streets department has been moving about the city putting up barricades at sites hit by the wind. Police and Fire have responded to calls of power lines down. First Energy reported their crews are responding to over 20 reports impacting more than 600 Elyria customers. 
To report problems to city crews, please use the new cityofelyria.org/311.

Matthew Lundy

A single-engine Piper plane was blown upside down at Burke Lakefront Airport, officials confirmed with News 5. The plane was unoccupied and there are no fuel leaks.

Cleveland Public Power is also restoring multiple outages, including:

Power restored from Barber to Clark and from Scranton to W. 41st. pic.twitter.com/nv4wVgQ4M6
— ClevelandPublicPower (@clepublicpower) March 26, 2023

See the latest power outage coverage from News 5 here.

Traffic
Cleveland Police said Ontario and Prospect is closed due to wind damage.

Chardon Fire tweeted there are several areas where wind is causing wires and poles down, resulting in closed roads.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON WEATHER UPDATE:
As of 4:10 p.m., the Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been canceled for most Northeast Ohio.. However, the High Wind Warning is still in effect.

Click here for the latest severe weather warnings and watches for Northeast Ohio.

Right before 2 p.m., the thunderstorm watch detailed below was upgraded to a severe thunderstorm warning. The counties involved are Summit, Medina, Geauga, Portage and Cuyahoga Counties.

The National Weather Service suggested moving to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building for protection.

A severe thunderstorm watch was issued for many communities across NE Ohio, including Cuyahoga, on Saturday. It was also canceled for all counties but Tuscarawas County, where it remains in effect until 8 p.m.

Scattered damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts to 75 mph possible, isolated large hail events to 1 inch in diameter possible and a tornado or two is possible.

These will be fast-moving showers and thunderstorms and are expected to track across eastern Ohio into western Pennsylvania this afternoon. The strongest cells will pose a risk of damaging wind gusts and some hail.

REMEMBER: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce tornadoes.

SUMMARY: A cold front that moved through northeast Ohio on Thursday, stalled to our south on Friday is now lifting back north as a warm front on Saturday. A widespread, steady rain fell overnight and has already cleared the region. The rain chance is not zero for the rest of the weekend though. Let's discuss everything to know for this weekend including the wind, the rain and the temperature swings.

News 5 Meteorologist Katie McGraw gives details on the upcoming severe potential for Saturday afternoon.

Watch in the video player below:

OTHER ALERTS:

A HIGH-WIND WARNING has been issued for multiple Northeast Ohio counties including Cuyahoga, Lake, Ashtabula, Lorain, Richland, Medina, Wayne, Erie, Huron, Ashland, and Geauga. The warning will be in effect from Saturday morning and continuing through Saturday evening. Plan for southwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph.

Elsewhere, A WIND ADVISORY is in effect and continuing through Saturday evening at 8 p.m. EDT. Plan for southwesterly winds 25 to 25 mph with gusts of 45 to 55 mph especially during the afternoon and evening on Saturday. Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high-profile vehicle.

A GALE WARNING is also in effect for the nearshore waters of Lake Erie from Maumee Bay to Willowick, and the open waters of Lake Erie from Maumee Bay to Willowick OH. Mariners should plan for Southwest gales to 40 knots with gusts up to 45 knots and waves 7 to 12 feet possible Saturday afternoon through Saturday night. Consider altering plans to avoid possible hazardous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe wind and waves. Strong winds can cause hazardous waves which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility.

WINDY WEEKEND + SEVERE POTENTIAL
As the rain decreases in coverage, winds will quickly increase Saturday morning across the area, with gusts of 45 to 55 mph likely. During the late morning into early afternoon hours, a period of stronger wind gusts of 55 to 60 mph may occur. Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects, tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high-profile vehicle.

Additionally, scattered afternoon storms could become strong or severe. Damaging straight-line winds are the main threat, but the tornado threat is not zero. Be sure to have your safety plan in place! As the warm front lifts north, temperatures will respond and briefly climb back into the 50s and 60s. The warm-up will not last long though, as the trailing cold front slides through, temperatures will drop throughout the day on Saturday. It will be colder by Saturday night and seasonable on Sunday -- with much drier weather!! Be sure to tune into News 5 Friday for the latest information. We will also be updating this article!