A cold front located near Akron this morning will push south through east-central Ohio by lunchtime. Thunderstorms along the boundary have fizzled out leaving only spotty showers. A few showers may linger as the front makes its way through the region but the trend has been for decreasing precipitation coverage as temperatures warm.
The good news is temperatures this afternoon will be about 10 degrees cooler today than Sunday and yesterday with afternoon highs topping out in the low-80s. The bad news is it will remain humid this afternoon with dew points in the upper 60s/low 70s.
The cold front will drift south through the day eventually stalling out in southern Ohio. As daytime heating peaks this afternoon showers and storms will break out along the boundary. While an isolated shower or thunderstorm will be possible just about anytime locally, the vast majority of activity will keep south of I-70.
Any showers/storms that happen to develop this afternoon will be slow-movers and efficient rain producers. Locally heavy rainfall could be an issue.
The frontal boundary will strengthen and reverse course and head back north on Wednesday. As it does, showers and thunderstorms will be likely. High moisture levels in the atmosphere will raise the potential for periods of heavy rainfall. While current modelling suggests that the heaviest rain may occur south of the region, the potential exists for an inch or so of rain here in the Tuscarawas Valley through Thursday morning.
With ample cloud cover and those showers and storms around, temperatures on Wednesday will settle around 80 degrees for the afternoon high.
Showers and storms will again push south of the region with the boundary Wednesday night and bring a break from the rain on Thursday. High pressure in Canada will nudge south keeping a mostly dry day with occasional sun. Temperatures should warm to 80/82.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND
Thursday’s dry weather will come to an end as high pressure shifts east on Friday. Low pressure will approach from the Plains to bring back the threat for scattered showers and thunderstorms Friday afternoon and evening.
A warm front will lift through the region on Saturday. This feature will raise the prospects for likely showers and storms once again. The morning models show a dry slot that may move through in the early afternoon. Depending on timing, this could allow for the atmosphere to destabilize enough to produce strong thunderstorms. We have plenty of time to monitor this yet but it is something we will need to keep an eye on over the next couple of days.
An associated cold front will cross on Sunday keeping the threat for showers and storms through the weekend. Canadian high pressure will build on Monday and bring fair weather back to dry everything out.
With an atmosphere rich with moisture and several opportunities for showers and thunderstorms over the next 7 days, heavy rainfall and flash flooding is a concern.
