CLEVELAND — There are some weather events that you just don't forget...And while we've certainly had some major winter events for the record books - don't forget that those summer storms can pack a real punch too.
Fifteen years ago, one unusual storm system moved through Northeast Ohio and left quite an impression, so we took a look in the 3News archives to bring us this WKYC "Weather Wow."
It was a summer Friday in 2007 – one that started like others had before – temperatures were in the 90s. The feeling of clothes sticking to you as soon as you walk out the door - then it all changed.
"All I could see was gray coming at me and then you could hear the sound 'oooh'," one resident told 3News cameras at the time.
A cold front - moving eastward like a runaway train – ran straight through Ohio.
"When that wind came, that’s when I got my kids down the basement," another resident recalled to WKYC.
Our cameras were there 15 years ago surveying the damage left behind. Watch the old footage and you can't miss the destruction - massive trees down, many structures partially or fully collapsed.
While it was wind for some - the storm of the summer brought historic precipitation for others. Residents in Akron looking into their yards would have seen softball sized hail - a rarity in the area.
Spotters reported over 4 inch ice balls falling from the sky – that's enough to cause severe damage – so much so that more than fifty-one thousand insurance claims were filed in Summit County alone, equating to more 280 million dollars in damage.
But despite the damage incurred, some residents expressed gratitude to our reporters.
"I’m just lucky that he was ok, and you know, buildings we can replace," one said.
Since 1950, only 5 hail events in the state of Ohio have seen hail over 4 inches. That summer day in 2007 is the third largest ever recorded.
A northeast Ohio "Weather Wow" for the history books!
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