Dry and mild through Wednesday; A taste of spring to end the week

Skies cleared out nicely last night and that allowed for temperatures to drop even colder. Most neighborhoods across the Tuscarawas Valley dipped to the low 20s early this morning. That’s REALLY chilly for this time of the year but not a record. The record low for April 10 is 15 set in 1997.

Those sunny clear skies this morning will gradually turn cloudier this afternoon. Those afternoon clouds and some very cold air aloft will limit our high temperatures today. Temperatures will be a little warmer than yesterday but still remain 10 to 15 degrees below normal. Afternoon highs should max out in the mid 40s.

With high pressure in control again on Wednesday we’ll see a mix of sun and clouds here in the Valley. Although afternoon temperatures will again be below average, we will begin to move upward with afternoon highs in the mid 50s. Normal high temperatures should be in the low 60s by now.

Low pressure will travel across the Great Lakes region Wednesday night and drag a warm front across east-central Ohio Wednesday night into Thursday morning. This may bring a few showers to the Valley during this time period. The last few model runs have trended this system further north so I’ve backed down the chances for rain a bit Wednesday night and Thursday in today’s forecast.

Any showers that may develop will end quickly Thursday morning once the frontal boundary lifts north. After the boundary crosses, east-central Ohio will be firmly in the warm sector Thursday afternoon allowing our temperatures to warm nicely into the upper 60s.

A warm south to southwest breeze will kick in Thursday night and remain through Saturday. Temperatures in the Valley will soar into the 70s Friday and Saturday. These will be the first 70 degree temperatures we’ve seen in the Tuscarawas Valley area since back on February 21 when the high temperature reached 71.

WEEKEND OUTLOOK
A low pressure system will move across the Great Lakes and drag a cold front across Ohio on Sunday. As it normally is this far out, our computer models a spitting out a variety of solutions with regards to placement and timing. We can, although, assume that showers will accompany the front and – depending on exactly where and when the front crosses – maybe thunderstorms. Today’s guidance suggests the best time for rain would be on Sunday.

Temperatures will take a drastic hit behind the front as cold air returns with a vengeance. After such a nice taste of springlike temperatures, highs on Monday will drop back to the mid 40s as cold air wraps in from the northwest.

LONG RANGE
The long range outlooks continue to indicate a lack of any sustained warming through the latter half of April. The latest outlook from the NWS Climate Prediction Center signals below normal temperatures are likely in the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook for the northern tier of the US.

While we see a lot ob blue on this map, keep in mind that this isn’t January. Normal temperatures in our area should be in the low to mid 60s through this period, so a few degrees below normal doesn’t mean freezing cold. It simply means colder than we normally should be.

The CPC also indicates above normal precipitation during the same period:

With planting season getting underway soon, extra rain would put a crimp on our area agriculture interests. It’s difficult to to get fields prepped fr planting if it’s raining or the fields are wet.

Thanks for reading today’s local weather update. If you’re interested in learning more about our local weather and how to help our community, remember to join us this evening for an NWS storm spotter session at Tuscora Park in New Philadelphia. It’s free and open to anyone interested.

 

 

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