East-central Ohio will be blessed with a couple of really pleasant days today and Thursday behind last evening’s cold front. High pressure over the Great Lakes will provide clear skies and seasonal temperatures while drier air from the north will bring dew points in the 50s.
Low humidity and temperatures in the mid-80s will continue into Thursday. If you’ve been waiting for some nice weather to get some tasks finished in the yard or garden, this would be it.
We could use some rain at this point. NWS analysis shows that it’s beginning to get a bit dry in parts of the Tuscarawas Valley – especially in the western section.
The NWSWPC 7-day outlook does project an inch or so of rain for the area over the next week. Some of that rain would come from scattered thunderstorms over the weekend but the majority is expected during the next frontal system due in a Monday/Tuesday timeframe.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND
Enjoy the lower humidity and relatively cooler temperatures the next two days. Friday will bring a warming trend that will carry us through the weekend.
High pressure will shift east to the Atlantic Coast on Friday setting up a southerly flow that will pump warm, moist air into the region. Temperatures will heat up to the upper 80s Friday afternoon with an uptick in dew points.
Expect hot and very muggy conditions once again Saturday and Sunday with temperatures around the 90-degree mark. Increasing moisture will push dew points and thus heat indices to the mid/upper 90s both days.
As for any rain/storm chances, the hot and humid air will provide plenty of fuel for thunderstorms. All we would need is a ‘spark’ to fire off a storm or two. Generally, we should remain dry over the weekend, but a passing disturbance or wave may just be enough to get a storm going.
I’ve included a low chance for a quick passing storm on Saturday but odds for a thunderstorm or two look better on Sunday.
MONDAY AND NEXT WEEK
Relief from the weekend heat and humidity will arrive with a fairly potent cold front. The front will bring likely odds for showers and thunderstorms Monday into Tuesday. Showers and storms should end Tuesday night as cooler and drier air moves in from the north. Temperatures on Wednesday will be closer to average. Those seasonal temperatures may stick around for a while.
