Today will be a warm day across east-central Ohio. And, we’ll see dew points rise into the 60s this afternoon as moist air gets pulled into the region ahead of a weak front. Temperatures this afternoon will top out in the upper 80s in most locations.
A slow-moving cold front will sink through east-central Ohio later this afternoon. With a humid atmosphere to support moderate instability, showers and thunderstorms will likely accompany the front. The warm dry air aloft will provide a cap that will put limits on storm development but a few storms could still manage to get a little feisty. The Storm Prediction Center has placed all of east-central Ohio under a marginal (low) risk for strong/severe storms this afternoon.
The primary threat would come from strong wind gusts but some hail can’t be ruled out.
TIMING
The majority of today will be dry and sunny. Spotty thunderstorms will move in mainly around or after 4:00 PM. The short-term hi-res model gives us a pretty good idea of the timing and coverage today:
As the model suggests, thunderstorms this afternoon should not be well organized and not everyone will get a storm today. The front is expected to speed up once it arrives in central Ohio. Once the storms push through, skies will clear out quickly tonight becoming mostly clear after midnight.
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY
Less humid and cooler air will flow over the region tonight and that will bring us a nice day tomorrow. You’ll notice the lower humidity as sunshine heats us up to the low 80s Wednesday afternoon.
An upper-level ridge of high pressure will rebuild on Thursday inching temperatures back up to the mid 80s. Surface high pressure will maintain dry and sunny conditions.
FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND
High pressure at the surface will shift east on Friday setting up a southerly flow and bring back the warmth and humidity for the weekend. We can expect temperatures in the upper 80s Friday and Saturday – around 90 or so by Sunday.
The moist southerly air will push dew points back up to the 70s over the weekend making for some very uncomfortably humid conditions. Nighttime temperatures will remain warm and humid.
With an abundant amount of moist air in place, the atmosphere will become increasingly unstable. As such, popup showers and thunderstorms will be likely through the period.
