Winter in Northeast Ohio vs Southwest Ohio

Winter in Northeast Ohio vs Southwest Ohio

Weather is a main topic of concern when looking to move somewhere and specifically the wintertime, depending on if you like the cold or the heat. Ohio has many incredible qualities and unique offerings to those who wish to live there.

What can be puzzling is the vast difference in weather, specifically the winter between northeast Ohio and Southwest Ohio. Northern Ohio would be the Cleveland skyline and Cincinnati would represent southern Ohio. The weather is drastically different for these areas and this is mostly because of Lake Erie and its size.

Northern Ohio has the arctic air from Canada that drops into this area and this brings wind chills. This air is blown over the lake and gains the moisture that dumps the rain and snow all over Northeast Ohio. This rainfall is usually a heavy downpour with larger raindrops because of the clouds expanding higher in the atmosphere which creates strong storms. Not only does the lake affect the winter but it also affects the spring and summer. In the summer the lake stays cooler than the air because of convection and in turn, it chills the air above, which is why it is such a hot spot to visit in the summer. These temperature differences have to do with the fact that northern Ohio is further away from the equator which makes it cooler. Any place that is further from the equator will be cooler in temperature.

Southern Ohio has more temporal weather. It is known to be more stable in its temperatures. This area is not affected by Lake Erie but it is affected by Lake Michigan. Southern Ohio does not get the heavy snowfall but it does get some snowfall, however, they do get a similar weather effect from Lake Michigan and northern Ohio does from Lake Erie.

Southern Ohio gets its direct heat from the sun because it is further south. Further south means that you are closer to the equator. The interesting part about this is that the direct heating creates very strong thunderstorms even without the extra moisture from the lake. Southern Ohio is prone to more severe storms than the north because it is closer in proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. The moisture is necessary for the thunderstorm formations and the warmer air's ability to hold in that moisture.

Cincinnati is the warmest city in Ohio and its annual average temperature is 54 degrees. Cincinnati averages 176 sunny days per year. It also averages 38 inches of rain and 15 inches of snow. Columbus is also fairly warm averaging at 53 degrees. When looking up north you notice a difference. Cleveland averages 50 degrees and Akron 48 degrees. Cleveland averages 166 sunny days per year with an average of 44 inches of rain and 54 inches of snow. Now looking at these differences you may think they're not that drastic but with precipitation and wind chill it can be a big difference.

Related: How to Prepare Your Home for Extreme Weather

So where should you live? Well, this is why we love Central Ohio. It has the best of both worlds and gives us a nice well-rounded weather. If you're planning a move to Ohio, consider some of our favorite places around Central Ohio. Check out the featured communities below and learn more about relocating to Central Ohio. 

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Post a Comment