Low pressure tracking out of the Tennessee Valley will drag a cold front across east-central Ohio late this morning through early this afternoon. Rain showers will pretty much rule the day but as temperatures cool behind the front late this afternoon, we may see a few snowflakes mixing in with the rain. Precipitation will wind down quickly by early evening so any snow showers here in the Valley will be brief.
Hi-res FutureCast radar through 11:00 pm tonight:
Although we won’t see much in the way of snow from this system, it will bring a healthy slug of rain. Most neighborhoods around the Valley will end up with a half to about an inch of rainfall by the end of the day.
The warmest part of Saturday will be during the morning with temperatures in the upper 40s to near 50 in some spots. Temperatures will slowly begin falling during the afternoon and overnight.
TONIGHT
Temperatures will drop to the mid 20s. If you’re out an about, be cautious of…
- Slick spots on secondary roads
- Black ice
CHRISTMAS EVE – CHRISTMAS DAY
Any rain and/or snow showers should end by 7:00/8:00 pm this evening and we should remain dry tonight. Although the majority of Christmas Eve will be cloudy, we should remain dry through lunch time.
The next weather system will approach the Ohio Valley / Great Lakes region Sunday afternoon spreading snow showers into east-central Ohio by mid to late afternoon.
Snow showers will continue overnight but should begin to taper off during the predawn hours as the system exits northeast of the region Christmas morning.
A few light snow showers / flurries may linger as the kids wake up at first dawn but the vast majority of snow showers should be east of the area by mid morning or so.
CHRISTMAS EVE WEATHER IMPACTS
- Widespread snow showers
- Snowfall may be heavy at times overnight
- Gusty winds
- Overnight temperatures in the low 20s
- Overnight wind chills in the single digits
CHRISTMAS EVE SNOW ACCUMULATION
As one would expect, snowfall from the Christmas Eve system will spread heavier snow amounts in northern Ohio counties – less as you head south. Those near the lake will receive the most snow.
Most neighborhoods in the northern half of the Valley should end up with an inch or two of snow on the ground Christmas morning. The farther south you travel, the less snow you’ll have to deal with.
The remainder of Christmas Day will be dry and we may even see a few breaks in the clouds and some sunshine in the afternoon. It will be a windy, cold and blustery day with afternoon temperatures only reaching the mid 20s. Wind chills Christmas Day will stay in the low teens.
CHRISTMAS EVE TRAVEL
This is not a lot of snow so our main highways should fare well. Watch out for slick spots on secondary and back country roads that are untreated – especially after sunset through midnight. Road conditions should improve through Christmas Day.
- Snowfall may be heavy at times especially after sunset
- Blowing snow may reduce visibility at times
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY
With a strong westerly flow on Tuesday most snow showers that develop will be lake effect snows and keep well to our north and east. Still, as it usually is with lake effect, a rambunctious band or two could make it this far south into northern portions of the Valley. We’ll need to keep a small chance for a snow shower going through Tuesday.
High pressure builds over the Ohio Valley on Wednesday to bring sunshine back to east-central Ohio.
The largest weather impact over the this period will be the bone-chilling temperatures and wind chills. Temperatures on Tuesday might get to the mid 20s for the high. Wednesday will likely be the coldest day of the week as we’ll struggle to reach 20 degrees for the high. Nighttime temperatures will plummet into the single digits Wednesday night. Factor in the wind chills and we’re looking at zero degrees.
THURSDAY & INTO THE WEEKEND
An upper level trough over the east will continue to deepen as we end the work week and head into the weekend. The mainly westerly flow will keep cold arctic air flowing over the region and surface temperatures will stay in the deep freeze here in east-central Ohio.
Weak disturbances riding along the trough will keep the threat for occasional snow showers through the period.
While snow will visit from time to time, the most concerning impact in the medium range will be the brutal cold temperatures. After a brief weekend warm up (If you can call it that) temperatures will plummet once again as we head into the new year.
Those cold temperatures have some staying power and look to hang in there at least through the first week or two of 2018.
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