Cleveland, OH

Lake effect snow creates dangerous driving conditions across Cleveland for Thanksgiving travelers

Published

4 months ago

November 28, 2025

Lake effect snow creates dangerous driving conditions across Cleveland for Thanksgiving travelers

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

Large pothole damages vehicles on I-90 east

Published

8 hours ago

April 3, 2026

Press Room

Large pothole damages vehicles on I-90 east

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A large pothole has damaged multiple vehicle on I-90 east during the Thursday morning commute.

This happened near Warren Road on the Cleveland/Lakewood border.

Police said at least 12 vehicles suffered damage and at least three were undriveable. There are no reports of injuries.

Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) crews were called to the scene to make repairs.

This caused a major back-up for drivers coming from the west side.

At 7:15 a.m., the drive-time from Westlake to Cleveland was a total of 45 minutes. Normally, that drive takes about 10 minutes

Large pothole on I-90 east at Warren Road on the Cleveland/Lakewood border(Julia Thyret | (Source: ODOT))

19 News went to Rad Air who took several calls from drivers needing repair help after hitting the pot hole.

Manager Paul Arlesic says pot holes can cause a lot of damage.

“Just a tire, you could be anywhere from 190 dollars. If it’s up to suspension repair and wheel repair you could be looking into the thousands,” said Arlesic.

He wants to remind drivers to get regular maintenance on their vehicles. Arlesic says even if you don’t see immediate damage hitting a pot hole causes a wear and tear.

“Every crack in the road, that tires going up and down, the struts working up and down. All the suspension is constantly moving,” said Arlesic.

ODOT was able to fill in the pot hole on I-90 Thursday morning.

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Cleveland, OH

2nd tornado confirmed after storms slammed Northeast Ohio

Published

20 hours ago

April 3, 2026

Press Room

2nd tornado confirmed after storms slammed Northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The National Weather Service confirmed another tornado after Tuesday evening’s severe thunderstorms.

An EF-1 tornado touched down in Chesterland in Geauga County with an estimated 100 MPH peak wind speed.

It touched down at about 5:49 p.m. and lifted at 5:51 p.m.

The tornado traveled 1.53 miles with a width of 120 yards, NWS confirmed.

2nd tornado confirmed after storms slammed Northeast Ohio(WOIO)

Tornado warnings were issued in these counties:

Cuyahoga
Geauga
Holmes
Lake
Stark
Wayne

19 News reached out first responders in the areas where tornado sirens were set off, but there was no significant damage reported.

However, many remain without power on Thursday.

Check the outage maps by FirstEnergy, Cleveland Public Power, and AEP for the latest developments.

Get the latest on the severe weather on the 19 First Alert Forecast webpage

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Cleveland, OH

Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert Trolls Fans With Hilarious April Fools’ Day Post

Published

1 day ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert Trolls Fans With Hilarious April Fools’ Day Post

Dan Gilbert will forever be a hero in the city of Cleveland for the way he runs the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is not afraid to spend his money in the pursuit of winning. That is all fans can ask for in an owner.

His work in Cleveland makes it easy to forget he is a Michigan native and was specifically born in Detroit. Thus, the Michigan ties run deep.

That is why some fans may have been shocked when they saw a tweet Gilbert put out Wednesday morning. Yet all people had to do was check the calendar and read closely to figure out it was all a joke.

Introducing our proposed name for Cleveland’s new WNBA team… THE Ohio Wolverines.
The Midwest work ethic is a real thing. As someone who has spent a lot of time on both sides of the lake, I can tell you that Ohio and Michigan have far more similarities than differences.
We’re… pic.twitter.com/DC2cISudxh
— Dan Gilbert (@cavsdan) April 1, 2026

His pitch? Calling Cleveland’s new WNBA team the “Ohio Wolverines.”

Dan Gilbert has fun at the expense of Cleveland fans

Gilbert even goes as far to suggest the Detroit WNBA franchise call itself the “Michigan Buckeyes.” What he is not joking about is calling Lake Erie “the Midwest’s own Mediterranean.” That is no April Fools’ exaggeration.

The replies seem to show most people understood it as a joke. Yet there are certainly people who were clearly duped, perhaps too prideful to share it on social media.

Gilbert has the grace and goodwill among Cleveland fans to make a joke like this. What would have happened if Jimmy Haslam made a joke on social media to this magnitude? That would have been enough to power local talk shows for a week.

The Dolans, owners of the Guardians, would also not find a big sense of humor among fans.

Gilbert’s spending allows him to get away with these fun pranks

The Cavaliers are among a handful of teams spending over $200 million in cash on player salaries this season. Guardians fans could only dream of such spending, and MLB does not even have a salary cap. Thus, fans are often on Gilbert’s side for his commitment to winning.

This post also reminds fans of the coming WNBA franchise, which will debut in 2028. That team will only add to Gilbert’s portfolio in the city.

His Cavs are also among the favorites to win the NBA title in 2026.

The excitement only continues in the summer, win or lose, as rumors of another LeBron return will loom over the franchise. Such a move would likely be the next time fans would be talking about a Dan Gilbert social media post.