An area of strong low pressure passed well to the north of Lake Erie on January 1st.  A strong cold front trailing the low swept east across Northeast Ohio late on the 1st.  Cold west to northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the late evening hours of the 1st.  Bands of lake effect snow then continued into the afternoon hours of January 3rd before dissipating.  The snow was locally heavy with visibilities at times less than a quarter mile.  The snow bands were the most intense during the afternoon and evening hours of the 2nd and again during the morning hours of the 3rd.  West to northwest winds gusted to as much as 30 mph through the afternoon hours of the 2nd causing much blowing and drifting snow.  Winds gradually diminished late on the 2nd through the 3rd.  Snowfall totals ranged from 6 to 10 inches from eastern Cuyahoga County across Geauga County and into inland Ashtabula Couty.  Locally heavy snowfall was also reported over northern Summit and Portage Counties.  Peak reported snowfall totals in each of the counties were: 15.1 inches at Pierpont in Ashtabula County; 13.2 inches in Chagrin Falls in Cuyahoga County; 10.2 inches at Sagamore Hills in Summit County; 9.5 inches in Bainbridge Township (Geauga County); 9.4 inches at Newton Falls in Trumbull County and 8.5 inches at Hiram in Portage County.  This was the first significant snow event of the season and resulted in difficult travel conditions.

Lake-Effect Snow in ASHTABULA, OHIO
From 01-JAN-12 19:00:00 to 03-JAN-12 13:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 100.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

An area of strong low pressure passed well to the north of Lake Erie on January 1st. A strong cold front trailing the low swept east across Northeast Ohio late on the 1st. Cold west to northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the late evening hours of the 1st. Bands of lake effect snow then continued into the afternoon hours of January 3rd before dissipating. The snow was locally heavy with visibilities at times less than a quarter mile. A peak total of 15.1 inches was reported at Pierpont. This was the first significant snow event of the season and resulted in difficult travel conditions.

Lake-Effect Snow in TRUMBULL, OHIO
From 01-JAN-12 20:00:00 to 03-JAN-12 14:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 50.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

An area of strong low pressure passed well to the north of Lake Erie on January 1st. A strong cold front trailing the low swept east across Northeast Ohio late on the 1st. Cold west to northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the late evening hours of the 1st. Bands of lake effect snow then continued into the afternoon hours of January 3rd before dissipating. The snow was locally heavy with visibilities at times less than a quarter mile. The snow was heaviest in the northern and western ends of the county with a peak total of 9.4 inches reported at Newton Falls. This was the first significant snow event of the season and resulted in difficult travel conditions.

Lake-Effect Snow in PORTAGE, OHIO
From 01-JAN-12 19:00:00 to 03-JAN-12 13:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 50.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

An area of strong low pressure passed well to the north of Lake Erie on January 1st. A strong cold front trailing the low swept east across Northeast Ohio late on the 1st. Cold west to northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the late evening hours of the 1st. Bands of lake effect snow then continued into the afternoon hours of January 3rd before dissipating. The snow was locally heavy with visibilities at times less than a quarter mile. The snow was heaviest in the northern end of the county with a peak total of 8.5 inches reported at Hiram. This was the first significant snow event of the season and  resulted in difficult travel conditions.

Lake-Effect Snow in SUMMIT, OHIO
From 01-JAN-12 19:00:00 to 03-JAN-12 18:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 75.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

An area of strong low pressure passed well to the north of Lake Erie on January 1st. A strong cold front trailing the low swept east across Northeast Ohio late on the 1st. Cold west to northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the late evening hours of the 1st. Bands of lake effect snow then continued into the afternoon hours of January 3rd before dissipating. The snow was locally heavy with visibilities at times less than a quarter mile. The snow was heaviest in the northern end of the county with a peak total of 10.2 inches reported at Sagamore Hills. This was the first significant snow event of the season and resulted in difficult travel conditions.

Lake-Effect Snow in GEAUGA, OHIO
From 01-JAN-12 19:00:00 to 03-JAN-12 13:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 50.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

An area of strong low pressure passed well to the north of Lake Erie on January 1st. A strong cold front trailing the low swept east across Northeast Ohio late on the 1st. Cold west to northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the late evening hours of the 1st. Bands of lake effect snow then continued into the afternoon hours of January 3rd before dissipating. The snow was locally heavy with visibilities at times less than a quarter mile. The snow was heaviest in the southern end of the county with a peak total of 9.5 inches reported in Bainbridge Township. This was the first significant snow event of the season and resulted in difficult travel conditions.

Lake-Effect Snow in CUYAHOGA, OHIO
From 01-JAN-12 19:00:00 to 03-JAN-12 14:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 125.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

An area of strong low pressure passed well to the north of Lake Erie on January 1st. A strong cold front trailing the low swept east across Northeast Ohio late on the 1st. Cold west to northwest winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop during the late evening hours of the 1st. Bands of lake effect snow then continued into the afternoon hours of January 3rd before dissipating. The snow was locally heavy with visibilities at times less than a quarter mile. The snow was heaviest at eastern end of the county with a peak total of 13.2 inches reported at Chagrin Falls. This was the first significant snow event of the season and resulted in difficult travel conditions.