Bad Weather in Cleveland...

Bad Weather in Cleveland...?
I am planning a trip to Cleveland, OH on December 11th-13th. Does anyone know if the weather is usually terrible in Cleveland during the month of December... like snow and what not? I am just worried about flight delays and not making it home on time to take a final exam.
Cleveland - 6 Answers
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1 :
Here in Cleveland we say if it isn't bad weather, wait 5 minutes. Its October and I am already wearing a winter coat. Usually we do not have snow outs or big storms in the beginning of December, yet is has happened a few times over the years. Hopkins Airport is usually really good about short weather delays anyway. I cannot honestly recall any weather related event stopping flights in December here for the past 10 years.
2 :
If you're asking whether it's likely that there will be a weather event that will force a cancellation of your flight home, the answer is no. If you're asking whether it's a possibility, the answer is definitely yes, and the problem might not be with Cleveland's weather, as evidenced by a Dec. 10 storm in Texas last year that froze up the nation's air network. E.g., if your plane is stuck in Texas, you're not leaving Cleveland on that plane. http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2009/02/weather_delays_flights_service.html Cleveland Hopkins probably is among the best airports at dealing with snow and ice, as it has immense experience and snow removal capacity. It would take a serious blizzard to shut down Hopkins, but it's always a possibility in winter. The odds of such a weather event on any given day are quite low. My impression is that Hopkins shuts down only 1-2 days during any winter, if then perhaps for only part of a day, and likely not in early December. IMO, the southwest side of Cleveland, where Hopkins is located, tends to get more snow in January and February than in early December. Areas northeast of Cleveland can be pounded by "lake effect" snow in early December. Depending upon where you're going in Cleveland, allow lots of extra time to get to the airport if there's a snowstorm underway. In my experience, your problem more likely will be getting to the airport, not getting off the ground. When traveling in the winter, if you really need to be somewhere on any given day, allow yourself an extra day of travel (so you hopefully can rebook if your flight is canceled) and keep a close eye on the weather forecasts in both your departure and arrival cities, as well as any intervening destination if you haven't booked a direct flight. A direct flight can lower your delay risks significantly. Also schedule early flights on your departure day so that you can rebook the flight if your flight is canceled. BOL!
3 :
I have to say, it might be snowing here by that time, but for the past 5 years at that time of year, it has either been raining or just doing nothing, but it will be cold. But it seems that winter is coming early this year, so it might be snowing by that time.
4 :
I'm going to say that you will be fine delay-wise, but there is always a chance for bad weather that could cause delays. Because it is Cleveland and they are used to snow, they are good at getting it cleaned up and getting people to their destinations. Last year I went to Florida from December 13-18, there was snow on the ground when we left and then there was an ice storm while I was gone in northern Ohio, but neither caused much trouble. I hope we don't get any bad weather on December 10th this year because I am going back to Florida and I don't want any delays!
5 :
typically in cleveland that time of year we have two major snow storm systems one is the alberta clipper and the oklahoma panhandle hook is another sometimes we get lake effect snow only on the east side.
6 :
Its too soon to say. Most likely no it won't be too bad to fly. But the weather is so tricky here. I'd check back in December closer to you flight. Sorry there is just no way to know for sure. Sometimes in December there is a lot of snow and other times there's either a light dusting or no snow at all just cold as what.