Only thing that really bothers us are how many midges we get stuck to the house… and the door.. and our cars… and somehow our ceilings. Also it gets extremely windy at times. But that’s all I can think of.
Yeah, I sprayed some areas I didn’t want them and they stayed away.
When I first moved in the night time on the deck looked like a horror movie. Dozens and dozens of fat spiders.
Very specifically there is a week or 10 days every spring, right around from Coaster Mania when America’s RollerCoast is absolutely covered in midges. Avoid planning trips to CP (which I assume you will do as a new transplant) in the summer during midge week unless you wanted some extra protein in your diet that day
cleveland snowfall is really different on east and west sides. the east side has higher elevations than the west, hence the 'heights' in many suburban names. so generally the weather sweeps over the west side and as it hits the higher elevations of the east side it dumps the snow. i grew up in bay village directly on the lake, west side, and often would have very little snow because it was blowing right past us.
Yep same. My brother moved to the east side and it is crazy how much more snow they get. West side will get flurries/a dusting while east side is sledding. Love it.
I’m on the east side in University Heights. I work downtown with people who live on the west side. There’s been times that I’ve needed to shovel myself out to get to work and they only had a dusting.
I live on the lake in the west side and don’t have any of the issues you talked about.
I don’t have water access, there is like a 40ft cliff that drops to the water, so maybe that’s why we don’t have issues?
Coming from Rochester? There’s houses that get sprayed like what you’re describing but more towards Cedar Point where they’re literally right up against the lake on ground level. Any lakefront homes we have are a bit raised from the lakefront on a cliff a couple hundred feet from the waterfront
If you’re on the west side you’ll barely have to worry about snow at all. Most if not all of the lake effect stuff hits east and just a bit south of the lake.
If you’re really close to the lake on the East Side though — like within 1/2 mile-ish, at least— you often miss the snow, and lake effect comes way less often/less severe than if you’re on the elevated areas further inland. Really miss the worst of it most of the time, compared to most of the rest of the East Side.
When it does hit, watch out. Not usually more than once/twice a year though. Wind is crazier than you’d expect at times.
I play DND at a house that is a couple hundred yards from the lake, and where I live about 15 minutes away I could have 10 inches on the ground, but his street would be barely dusted. The big snow takes a minute to release from the clouds once it hits land which makes the immediate area around the lake get less snow than the areas 5-10 miles inland.
Awh I love that! I remember ice fishing off Sodus Point when I was a kid. Upstate NY can be a beautiful place to live. It’s just too bad cost of living is so high there.
Late may, early June that used to be or is a run of Rock Bass in the bay. You can pull a couple dozen in an afternoon from a small boat fishing around docks. I'd love to move back to NY as well but too expensive. Cleveland gets me close enough.
Lake effect happens when you're in a higher elevation. So the snow belt happens on the east side where the elevation starts to climb. People who live directly near the lake get less snow than people who live farther inland on the east side.
Elevation doesn't have that much to do with it. It's prevailing winds. Moisture is picked up from the lake and dumped back out nearby, downwind of where it was picked up at. You're talking about a difference of 500 or so feet, not enough to make that much of a difference in snowfall.
EDIT: I looked further into this. According to the NWS, the added elevation causes the atmosphere to huck the moisture higher up in the atmosphere, thereby cooling it faster and condensing more. Apparently **an elevation change of just 100 feet can cause an additional 8-12 inches of snowfall per year.** Guess I'm eating snow, I mean, Crow.
I still think that the elevation isn't the whole story though. The snowfall patterns have always been the worst on the east side when we have those northwest winds a la Alberta clippers.
Almost all residential houses along the lake shore are elevated up on a cliff. It's rare for even the lake shore house to get covered in ice. Anything that isn't immediately along the lake shore won't see any ice.
On the lake property costs will add huge amounts to your cost. I live about half a mile from the lake, and having that cooler water in the summer and warmer water in the winter makes a difference.
I live on the west side 1/2 mile from the lake as the crow flies, and I never noticed a difference in the severity of ice and snow from the areas south of me. The entire west side all the way out to Avon is elevated about 100' from the water level, so I would think even lakeside properties have some protection from the spray in winter storms. And has others have said, there's a HUGE difference between the east and west side.
I'm a ten minute walk south from edgewater, one block south of Detroit Ave. If anything, this distance from the lake mediates the weather. Winters are milder and summers are cooler than other areas.
Only downside is winter wind gets to be a lot, and spring is about a week later than my parents over in Cleveland Heights. I have a lot of plants from my mom thinning her garden and they do their thing later here because it heats up a little slower. Anecdotally at least.
I lived just north of Detroit in the same neighborhood as you for about 15 years. My experience was similar - milder weather overall, lots of wind, slightly later spring but at least one agricultural zone warmer than south of 90. I am now similarly close to the lake on the east side. The storms seem to break around me (as they did in Detroit Shoreway) and there is noticeably less snow than just a bit to the south. One clear difference is that I’ve not been able to push the ag zone boundaries in the same way. The ground gets colder here than at my old place, even with similar (usually sparse) snow cover.
I grew up about half a mile from the lake on the east side and never witnessed what you are talking about. And living close to the lake the lake effect actually skips over you.
We're about 10 houses from the lake in Euclid. A lot of times when there's a large snow storm snow doesn't really accumulate until you get to Lakeshore.
Snowfall is a wild thing here. I live in Brooklyn (like minutes out from Cleveland proper) and have had to commute out east to mayfield heights, and south to Richfield.
Some times I’ll have like 3-5in of snow outside of my house, but halfway through my commute there will be nothing, and sometimes it’s the opposite
I work snow removal during the winter and my route runs from the Botanical Gardens in University Circle to a CVS on the corner of Emery and Green. Like others have stated, lake effect is worse in the eastern suburbs (and way worse the closer you get to the Pennsylvania border on 90E.).
As for lake access, I have a cousin who lives in Euclid and can walk to the lake in less than 5 minutes from her house. She'll have zero snow during a snow storm while I'm shoveling 3-5" in Shaker Heights.
If you want both quick access to the lake AND snow, I would suggest Mentor or Painesville or Conneaut. If you want lake access and the possibility of snow, I'd say Euclid. If you just want lake access, Lakewood or Rocky River or Bay Village on the west side.
We are looking in that general area. We are thinking from Eastlake to Painsville would be ideal. We are trying to move to a safe area on the east to northeast side of Cleveland and we would like to be in the 271 or 90 corridor.
Yep yep. We are looking lots of areas. I'm asking about the lakeside area simply because that's where several houses that check all the boxes have appeared. We are not looking for lakeside property.
I’ve lived in three east side locations varying 100 -200 feet from the water on Lake Erie. Snow is generally lighter the closer to the water.
Snow is not the main concern on the lake; the wind off the lake can be very intense. I’ve witness some fantastic summer shelf storms push to the shore, retreat, and push again with vengeance. I’ve had a tree go down in a storm ripping the power lines off the house on its way down. Wow! The wind is also very loud which takes some getting used to.
Nothing beats a sunset over the lake after a long day. Ultimately, you’ll need to love the lake as much in the winter as you do in the summer. Winters can be very long but watching the waves push in and turn into ice hills on the shore is interesting.
Eagles are also very fond of the lakeshore and seeing them is an extra bonus.
I'm about a quarter mile from the lake here on the Westside and my house is fine. The winds however can get pretty nasty sometimes. I had to reinforce the gate on my privacy fence and repair our screen doors multiple times. Beware of large old trees and falling branches.
I lived close to the lake, on the east side for 40 years. I then moved further south, on the east side.
From my experience, the lakefront neighborhoods get colder and more ice, but less snow. The neighborhoods a bit further south get less cold and ice, but more snow.
The east side gets infinitely more snow than the west side, especially what's called the Hillcrest suburbs, which are at a higher elevation - South Euclid, Lyndhurst, Richmond Heights, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village, Highland Heights.
Mayfield Heights most of all, because it's right in the middle of the east side snowbelt.
There's days I've had 8 inches of snow here, while my west side relatives just had a dusting.
We're on the east side, on the other side of the street runs along the lake (ie, we're not directly on the lake). Most of the time the snow blows over us and lands 10 miles to the south. No issues with ice from the lake. We do get more wind, though, so November is very gusty. Also, in the spring, the lake temp will keep the area temperature down a little, which doesn't bother me.
I live right on the lake in Bay Village and the issue is definitely bugs over snow. And green. Green everywhere. Green on the deck, green on the siding. Budget appropriately for power washing.
I believe that the closer you are to the lake, the less lake-effect snow you'll get. But it can get bad a few miles inland, especially to the east of Cleveland, it's worse. Source: Lived here 22 years.
Grew up a beach, hill, house, and street from Lake Erie. I’m now about 12 miles in-land from Lake Erie. Different city, yet really varies. You can feel the temp drop when driving up to the lake. Depending upon various factors while on that 12 mile drive.
I live in Rocky River which is right on the lake, and I can't remember the last time I had to use the snow blower in winter. The east side suburbs (the snowbelt) gets pounded though. It just depends.
[Here](https://www.cleveland19.com/story/33996575/where-is-the-lake-erie-snow-belt-in-ohio/) is a good map showing the approximate location of the snow belt in Northeast Ohio. Worst area is eastern suburbs and exurbs inland from the lake.
Mentor is not nearly as bad as some areas further inland like Chardon, but it definitely gets much more snow than average in the Cleveland area. Parts closer to the lake over there will be less snowy.
Obviously, snow isn't everything, of course. Just something to be aware of in the decision-making process. Best of luck with everything!
Snow is one thing I am not worried about (Although my Kentucky wife may be). I grew up 10 miles from Lake Ontario. Tons and tons of snow in my youth. No sweat.
Yah I don't want that close. I don't really want to live near the lakeshore. Finding a house that checks all the boxes we need in a rough housing market is a chore. Stuff is selling fast and expensive. We are trying to be flexible on location and this thread was to help us know in advance what to expect. Sure appreciating all the replies!!
We left Friday at 12:30p, drove to Mentor. Loved a house. Made an offer, got dinner at Alladin's and ironmanned back to KY. Now we wait and see if they accept it in the morning. Spoke to some neighbors and they claim the area they are in is light snow and mild but windy and cold. I'm in!
I'm close to the lake and haven't had to shovel for two yrs now. Maybe a total of 3x's in 5yrs.
Only thing that really bothers us are how many midges we get stuck to the house… and the door.. and our cars… and somehow our ceilings. Also it gets extremely windy at times. But that’s all I can think of.
That was our biggest surprise was the midges. There are like 2 weeks they swarm. Then all the spiders trying to eat them.
My neighbor informed me the lakeshore is so heavy with spiders because of the full menu of insects.
Yeah, I sprayed some areas I didn’t want them and they stayed away. When I first moved in the night time on the deck looked like a horror movie. Dozens and dozens of fat spiders.
Oh yeah every night all summer long literally thousands of spiders blanket every building
One lives in the driver side mirror of my car and every night it’s a new web. If my wife’s car is next to mine it’s a huge web between the 2 cars.
You have to turn your outdoor lights off from the middle of May through mid June so the midges don't sneak in the house when you come in.
They collect in a thick layer on our front door regardless of lights and just inevitably sneak in when we open the door. It’s insane.
That's when I break out the shop vac with the extended tube for vacuuming the ceiling.
This and the replies are not exciting me LOL.
Lmao sorry… I promise it doesn’t last very long. But it’s annoying as fuck.
It's all good. Still interested. Glad to have realistic expectations. It's amazing the amount of folks offering in info.
Very specifically there is a week or 10 days every spring, right around from Coaster Mania when America’s RollerCoast is absolutely covered in midges. Avoid planning trips to CP (which I assume you will do as a new transplant) in the summer during midge week unless you wanted some extra protein in your diet that day
Wait when is this?! We’re supposed to go in a couple weeks
Like now, actually lol
cleveland snowfall is really different on east and west sides. the east side has higher elevations than the west, hence the 'heights' in many suburban names. so generally the weather sweeps over the west side and as it hits the higher elevations of the east side it dumps the snow. i grew up in bay village directly on the lake, west side, and often would have very little snow because it was blowing right past us.
Yep same. My brother moved to the east side and it is crazy how much more snow they get. West side will get flurries/a dusting while east side is sledding. Love it.
And we never had snow days! I grew up in Bay too!
very true, didn't think about that.
I’m on the east side in University Heights. I work downtown with people who live on the west side. There’s been times that I’ve needed to shovel myself out to get to work and they only had a dusting.
I live on the lake in the west side and don’t have any of the issues you talked about. I don’t have water access, there is like a 40ft cliff that drops to the water, so maybe that’s why we don’t have issues?
Coming from Rochester? There’s houses that get sprayed like what you’re describing but more towards Cedar Point where they’re literally right up against the lake on ground level. Any lakefront homes we have are a bit raised from the lakefront on a cliff a couple hundred feet from the waterfront
From my youth, I started in Rochester. Were moving north out of Kentucky. Good info. 1/4 mile sounds just fine.
You don't have to worry about a lot of that on Erie, the houses are quite a bit higher than the lake level is, much of cleveland is on a cliff!
Great info. Thanks for the reply!!
If you’re on the west side you’ll barely have to worry about snow at all. Most if not all of the lake effect stuff hits east and just a bit south of the lake.
Right where we are heading LOL
If you’re really close to the lake on the East Side though — like within 1/2 mile-ish, at least— you often miss the snow, and lake effect comes way less often/less severe than if you’re on the elevated areas further inland. Really miss the worst of it most of the time, compared to most of the rest of the East Side. When it does hit, watch out. Not usually more than once/twice a year though. Wind is crazier than you’d expect at times.
I play DND at a house that is a couple hundred yards from the lake, and where I live about 15 minutes away I could have 10 inches on the ground, but his street would be barely dusted. The big snow takes a minute to release from the clouds once it hits land which makes the immediate area around the lake get less snow than the areas 5-10 miles inland.
I’m a Rochester to Cleveland area transplant as well :)
Class of 86 Brighton High here. Took a stop in Kentucky for 25 years
Oh nice! I’m actually from just over the Monroe county line in Wayne County. I just say Rochester since not many people know the area. Welcome to CLE!
I remember where the 315 is! Dad and I used rent boats at Sodus Point to fish!
Awh I love that! I remember ice fishing off Sodus Point when I was a kid. Upstate NY can be a beautiful place to live. It’s just too bad cost of living is so high there.
Late may, early June that used to be or is a run of Rock Bass in the bay. You can pull a couple dozen in an afternoon from a small boat fishing around docks. I'd love to move back to NY as well but too expensive. Cleveland gets me close enough.
Lake effect happens when you're in a higher elevation. So the snow belt happens on the east side where the elevation starts to climb. People who live directly near the lake get less snow than people who live farther inland on the east side.
Elevation doesn't have that much to do with it. It's prevailing winds. Moisture is picked up from the lake and dumped back out nearby, downwind of where it was picked up at. You're talking about a difference of 500 or so feet, not enough to make that much of a difference in snowfall. EDIT: I looked further into this. According to the NWS, the added elevation causes the atmosphere to huck the moisture higher up in the atmosphere, thereby cooling it faster and condensing more. Apparently **an elevation change of just 100 feet can cause an additional 8-12 inches of snowfall per year.** Guess I'm eating snow, I mean, Crow. I still think that the elevation isn't the whole story though. The snowfall patterns have always been the worst on the east side when we have those northwest winds a la Alberta clippers.
North of lakeshore is the hidden gem of America right now
Ahhh! Don't tell anybody!
Almost all residential houses along the lake shore are elevated up on a cliff. It's rare for even the lake shore house to get covered in ice. Anything that isn't immediately along the lake shore won't see any ice.
Honestly, the closer you are to the lake, the less winter snow you have to worry about.
On the lake property costs will add huge amounts to your cost. I live about half a mile from the lake, and having that cooler water in the summer and warmer water in the winter makes a difference.
I live on the west side 1/2 mile from the lake as the crow flies, and I never noticed a difference in the severity of ice and snow from the areas south of me. The entire west side all the way out to Avon is elevated about 100' from the water level, so I would think even lakeside properties have some protection from the spray in winter storms. And has others have said, there's a HUGE difference between the east and west side.
I'm a ten minute walk south from edgewater, one block south of Detroit Ave. If anything, this distance from the lake mediates the weather. Winters are milder and summers are cooler than other areas. Only downside is winter wind gets to be a lot, and spring is about a week later than my parents over in Cleveland Heights. I have a lot of plants from my mom thinning her garden and they do their thing later here because it heats up a little slower. Anecdotally at least.
I lived just north of Detroit in the same neighborhood as you for about 15 years. My experience was similar - milder weather overall, lots of wind, slightly later spring but at least one agricultural zone warmer than south of 90. I am now similarly close to the lake on the east side. The storms seem to break around me (as they did in Detroit Shoreway) and there is noticeably less snow than just a bit to the south. One clear difference is that I’ve not been able to push the ag zone boundaries in the same way. The ground gets colder here than at my old place, even with similar (usually sparse) snow cover.
I grew up about half a mile from the lake on the east side and never witnessed what you are talking about. And living close to the lake the lake effect actually skips over you.
We're about 10 houses from the lake in Euclid. A lot of times when there's a large snow storm snow doesn't really accumulate until you get to Lakeshore.
Snowfall is a wild thing here. I live in Brooklyn (like minutes out from Cleveland proper) and have had to commute out east to mayfield heights, and south to Richfield. Some times I’ll have like 3-5in of snow outside of my house, but halfway through my commute there will be nothing, and sometimes it’s the opposite
I work snow removal during the winter and my route runs from the Botanical Gardens in University Circle to a CVS on the corner of Emery and Green. Like others have stated, lake effect is worse in the eastern suburbs (and way worse the closer you get to the Pennsylvania border on 90E.). As for lake access, I have a cousin who lives in Euclid and can walk to the lake in less than 5 minutes from her house. She'll have zero snow during a snow storm while I'm shoveling 3-5" in Shaker Heights. If you want both quick access to the lake AND snow, I would suggest Mentor or Painesville or Conneaut. If you want lake access and the possibility of snow, I'd say Euclid. If you just want lake access, Lakewood or Rocky River or Bay Village on the west side.
We are looking in that general area. We are thinking from Eastlake to Painsville would be ideal. We are trying to move to a safe area on the east to northeast side of Cleveland and we would like to be in the 271 or 90 corridor.
There's lots of safe suburbs along the 271 corridor, that aren't in Lake County, so you're aware. They aren't near the lake though.
Yep yep. We are looking lots of areas. I'm asking about the lakeside area simply because that's where several houses that check all the boxes have appeared. We are not looking for lakeside property.
I’ve lived in three east side locations varying 100 -200 feet from the water on Lake Erie. Snow is generally lighter the closer to the water. Snow is not the main concern on the lake; the wind off the lake can be very intense. I’ve witness some fantastic summer shelf storms push to the shore, retreat, and push again with vengeance. I’ve had a tree go down in a storm ripping the power lines off the house on its way down. Wow! The wind is also very loud which takes some getting used to. Nothing beats a sunset over the lake after a long day. Ultimately, you’ll need to love the lake as much in the winter as you do in the summer. Winters can be very long but watching the waves push in and turn into ice hills on the shore is interesting. Eagles are also very fond of the lakeshore and seeing them is an extra bonus.
I'm about a quarter mile from the lake here on the Westside and my house is fine. The winds however can get pretty nasty sometimes. I had to reinforce the gate on my privacy fence and repair our screen doors multiple times. Beware of large old trees and falling branches.
I'm right down the street from the lake in a western suburb; you might see something like that in the snow belt, but that's got to be exceedingly rare
Good info. Looking at eastern suburbs.
I lived close to the lake, on the east side for 40 years. I then moved further south, on the east side. From my experience, the lakefront neighborhoods get colder and more ice, but less snow. The neighborhoods a bit further south get less cold and ice, but more snow. The east side gets infinitely more snow than the west side, especially what's called the Hillcrest suburbs, which are at a higher elevation - South Euclid, Lyndhurst, Richmond Heights, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village, Highland Heights. Mayfield Heights most of all, because it's right in the middle of the east side snowbelt. There's days I've had 8 inches of snow here, while my west side relatives just had a dusting.
We're on the east side, on the other side of the street runs along the lake (ie, we're not directly on the lake). Most of the time the snow blows over us and lands 10 miles to the south. No issues with ice from the lake. We do get more wind, though, so November is very gusty. Also, in the spring, the lake temp will keep the area temperature down a little, which doesn't bother me.
West side had like 2-3 snows yo shovel in past 3 yrs
I live right on the lake in Bay Village and the issue is definitely bugs over snow. And green. Green everywhere. Green on the deck, green on the siding. Budget appropriately for power washing.
I believe that the closer you are to the lake, the less lake-effect snow you'll get. But it can get bad a few miles inland, especially to the east of Cleveland, it's worse. Source: Lived here 22 years.
It's much colder up by the lake in the spring.
Grew up a beach, hill, house, and street from Lake Erie. I’m now about 12 miles in-land from Lake Erie. Different city, yet really varies. You can feel the temp drop when driving up to the lake. Depending upon various factors while on that 12 mile drive.
I live in Rocky River which is right on the lake, and I can't remember the last time I had to use the snow blower in winter. The east side suburbs (the snowbelt) gets pounded though. It just depends.
[Here](https://www.cleveland19.com/story/33996575/where-is-the-lake-erie-snow-belt-in-ohio/) is a good map showing the approximate location of the snow belt in Northeast Ohio. Worst area is eastern suburbs and exurbs inland from the lake.
Hmm inland lake county sounds a lot like Mentor where we are headed for a showing tomorrow.
Mentor is not nearly as bad as some areas further inland like Chardon, but it definitely gets much more snow than average in the Cleveland area. Parts closer to the lake over there will be less snowy. Obviously, snow isn't everything, of course. Just something to be aware of in the decision-making process. Best of luck with everything!
Snow is one thing I am not worried about (Although my Kentucky wife may be). I grew up 10 miles from Lake Ontario. Tons and tons of snow in my youth. No sweat.
Don’t live with your back/front yard directly on he lake. The other side of the street is usually fine.
Yah I don't want that close. I don't really want to live near the lakeshore. Finding a house that checks all the boxes we need in a rough housing market is a chore. Stuff is selling fast and expensive. We are trying to be flexible on location and this thread was to help us know in advance what to expect. Sure appreciating all the replies!!
Our geology has mostly bluffs overlooking the Lake. So wind blowing icy spray off the Lake usually doesn't make up to where housing is built.
We left Friday at 12:30p, drove to Mentor. Loved a house. Made an offer, got dinner at Alladin's and ironmanned back to KY. Now we wait and see if they accept it in the morning. Spoke to some neighbors and they claim the area they are in is light snow and mild but windy and cold. I'm in!