Although the calendar says it’s the first day of spring, winter is not quite ready to give it up. Winter weather including snow showers will impact all of east-central Ohio through the next 48 hours as two storm systems move across the Ohio Valley. I mentioned yesterday that some changes could be expected in the forecast and this update contains those changes.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for all of east-central Ohio from 8:00 PM this evening through 8:00 PM Wednesday evening.
TODAY
The first storm system will bring mainly rain showers to the Tuscarawas Valley during the daytime hours. Other than rain we should have little in the way of weather problems to deal with. There is a brief window of opportunity for light freezing rain and/or sleet this morning but there should be little in the way of accumulating ice here in the Tuscarawas Valley.
Hi-res Futurecast simulated radar for 11:00 am:
Temperatures this afternoon will be much cooler than yesterday with highs generally around 40 degrees. I would not be surprised to see a few snow flakes mixing in with the rain, especially during the morning.
Rain coverage will decrease this afternoon and give us a short break before the second storm crosses later tonight. Today’s cooler temperatures and rain will help set the stage for tonight’s weather.
TONIGHT
Initially precipitation may start out after sunset as a rain/snow mix and include a brief period of sleet and/or freezing rain. Eventually precipitation will become widespread snow showers spreading south to north. Everyone will get snow tonight and snow showers may be heavy at times.
Snow showers will continue Wednesday morning and will likely impact your morning commute. Snow will taper off late Wednesday morning ending around lunch time.
Futurecast radar for 6:00 AM Wednesday:
HOW MUCH SNOW CAN WE EXPECT?
Snow will have a difficult time sticking at the onset but eventually as surfaces cool tonight it will start to add up. This will be wet heavy snow, so not real easy to move around.
While there is yet some considerable model spread, I think we can expect 3 – 5 inches of snow from this system tonight through Wednesday morning here in the Tuscarawas Valley. I can’t rule out our southern communities closer to I-70 to end up with a little more.
LOCAL IMPACTS
These two systems will bring a mixed bag of travel impacts to the Valley:
- TODAY – Light freezing rain/sleet with little or no accumulation. Roads and highways should remain mainly wet but watch for slick spots. Be mindful of outdoor walkways and stairs.
- TONIGHT – Wet roads to start but snow will eventually accumulate. Overpasses and bridges will be first to accumulate snow. Main highways will fare much better than secondary roads.
- WEDNESDAY MORNING – Secondary roads will likely be snow covered and slippery. Main highways will be mainly wet. Again, bridges and overpasses will likely have slick spots.
This is a particularly difficult snow forecast and I would like to have a little more confidence in the amount of snow. That just isn’t the case with the model runs so far this morning. I’m hoping confidence will go up as more data comes in over the next several hours.
I’ll post updates throughout the day here and on social media when and if they are needed.
