Climate - Cleveland (Ohio)

The climate of Cleveland is continental, with very cold winters and warm to hot summers, during which there are quite frequent thunderstorms.
The city is located in Ohio, at 190 meters (625 feet) above sea level, on the shores of Lake Erie, beyond which lies Canada.
The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of -1 °C (30 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 23.9 °C (75 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 995 millimeters (39.2 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 60 mm (2.4 in) in the driest month (February) to 95 mm (3.7 in) in the wettest ones (May, September). Here is the average precipitation.

Winter, from late November to early March, is very cold.
Snowfalls in Cleveland and on the southern shores of Lake Erie are abundant due to the so-called lake-effect snow, whereby the cold wind from Canada is charged with humidity as it passes over the lake. This phenomenon occurs more easily in the first part of winter, since the lake often freezes at the end of January and in February. Furthermore, the phenomenon is more evident in the part of the lake facing north-west or west, therefore the one that goes from the eastern part of Cleveland to Buffalo.
At the airport, an average of 173 centimeters (68 inches) of snow falls per year. It usually snows from November to April.
Cold waves are intense, in fact, the temperature drops below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 °C) almost every year. The record cold, -29 °C (-20 °F), occurred in January 1994.

Summer, from June to August, is hot and quite sunny, although thunderstorms can break out in the afternoon.
There can sometimes be very hot periods. Typically, the temperature reaches 34/35 °C (93/95 °F) on the hottest days of the year, although the record is 40 °C (104 °F), recorded in late June 1988.

Spring and autumn, from mid-March to May and from September to mid-November, are contrasted seasons, with fairly frequent rains and sudden changes in temperature. However, there are also stable and pleasant periods.



On average, there are around 2,280 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The lake temperature ranges between 1 °C (34 °F) and 23 °C (73 °F). Here are the average lake temperatures.

Best Time

The best times to visit Cleveland are spring and fall, especially the months of May and September.
In October, you can admire the beautiful colors of the trees losing their leaves (the phenomenon called fall foliage).