WESTLAKE, Ohio (WOIO) – Dangerous driving conditions developed across the Cleveland area Thursday as lake effect snow hit several communities west of Cleveland that weren’t expecting the heavy snowfall.

White-out conditions on Interstate 90 forced drivers to slow down as heavy snowfall made it nearly impossible to see the driving lanes. The snow fell heavily at times, not only east of the city as expected, but in communities west of Cleveland creating hazardous travel conditions for those heading home for Thanksgiving.

“It’s terrible out here. Visibility is zero — I could barely get around out here,” Jeff Spinelli of Westlake said.

Spinelli of Westlake, a private snow plow driver, finished his Thanksgiving dinner early after receiving calls to clear driveways. “We’ll be up all night,” Spinelli said.

Thundersnow phenomenon adds to dangerous conditions

A rare phenomenon called thundersnow also appeared Thursday and was captured by ODOT cameras. The weather event happens after a cold front passes over a body of water.

Kevin from Bay Village pulled over at a gas station in Westlake to determine whether to continue his trip home or wait until Friday due to the dangerous driving conditions and numerous accidents on the freeway.

“This is crazy! I was just trying to get home back to Columbus and was not expecting this kind of snow,” Kevin said. “Stopped here just to try and think if I wanted to go on the highway or not.”

ODOT salt and plow trucks worked overtime to help travelers reach family and friends safely for the holiday. Officials asked drivers to give crews room to work.

But it was nearly impossible to keep up with the snowfall, “You’re not going to see bare pavement, you’re not going to be able to drive 70 miles per hour on I-90,” said Matt Bruning with ODOT.

Bruning said the intense lake effect snow was expected to fall at one inch per hour, reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less. Strong winds caused conditions to change rapidly.

The Lake Effect Snow Warning remains in effect until 7 p.m. Friday in some counties.

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CLEVELAND, OH — The first true winter punch of the season is hitting northeast Ohio this morning, with heavy lake effect snow expected to continue through tonight. The National Weather Service in Cleveland warns that travel could become treacherous across the snowbelt region, especially along and north of Interstate 90 from Cleveland to Erie, Pennsylvania.

Forecasters say snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour or more are possible within stronger lake bands. By tonight, totals could reach 4 to 6 inches, with locally higher amounts near Ashtabula, Chardon, and Mentor. Winds gusting to 30 mph will create blowing and drifting snow, sharply reducing visibility for drivers.

The snow bands are expected to shift eastward through the afternoon, spreading from Cuyahoga and Lake Counties into Geauga, Ashtabula, and Erie Counties by evening. Travel along I-90, Route 2, and the Ohio Turnpike will likely deteriorate as conditions vary mile by mile — one town may see light flakes while another faces near-whiteout conditions.

Drivers are urged to avoid unnecessary travel or use extreme caution if heading out today. Even short commutes could take significantly longer as roads ice over and plows struggle to keep up with fast accumulation rates.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The FBI Cleveland Field Office is warning shoppers to watch out for scams this holiday season.

Criminals are trying to steal money and personal information from holiday shoppers.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported it receives more than 800,000 scam complaints each year, phishing and spoofing being the most common.

Ohio ranked seventh in fraud complaints in 2024. The top scams nationwide in 2024 were:

• Investment scams caused over $6.57 million in total losses (not including cryptocurrency investment fraud losses)
• Business email compromises caused over $2.77 million total losses
• Tech support impersonations caused over $1.46 million total losses
• Personal data breaches caused over $1.45 million total losses
• Non-payments/non-deliveries caused over $785 thousand total losses

Northern Ohio has seen investment scams, tech and government scams and business email fraud most often.

“While it may seem like an uptick during the holidays, the reality is as the volume of shopping transactions increase, so does fraudulent activity,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “Scammers are working every day of the year; there are simply more opportunities during the holidays. Anyone, regardless of their age or how tech-savvy one may be, can become a victim, whether conducting a transaction in person or online, someone with criminal intent will find their next victim.”

Many victims think they’re buying from real online stores but end up giving criminals their credit card information or never receiving items they paid for.

Common holiday scams include fake online shopping deals through phishing emails, non-delivery scams where items never arrive, social media scams offering fake gift cards, fake smartphone apps that steal information, work-from-home scams promising easy money, gift card payment requests and fake charities.

The FBI offers tips to avoid these scams:

• Don’t open suspicious emails or click on unknown links
• Don’t scan QR codes from unsolicited packages
• Use strong, different passwords for banking and credit accounts
• Avoid websites or ads offering unrealistic discounts
• Be careful when downloading mobile apps
• Never wire money directly to sellers. Don’t pay with pre-paid gift cards
• Use a credit card for online shopping and check statements regularly
• Keep all evidence like texts, emails, screenshots and phone numbers when reporting
• If a scammer threatens you or tells you to buy gift cards or gold bars, hang up and call the FBI or police

The FBI reminds residents to apply the idea, “If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

If you’re scammed, contact your bank immediately. Also contact local police and file a complaint at www.IC3.gov within 72 hours for the best chance of recovering funds.