High pressure provides two more warm afternoons with temperatures in the 80s outside the mountains through Friday. A cold front will bring a line of storms Friday evening. Cooler weather returns this weekend.
The morning fog should quickly mix out by mid-morning. If you’re headed out to the Tuscarawas County Fair today you’ll have a warm one. A warm front will lift north through east-central Ohio this morning and warm moist air will filter into the region today behind the front.
Temperatures will soar to the upper 80s behind the front and it will feel more like a July day across the Valley with dew points around 70.
We will remain dry, humid and warm tonight with temperatures dropping only to the upper 60s.
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY
High pressure will bring a nice start to Friday. Mostly sunny conditions will prevail through the morning and early afternoon. It will also be another warm and muggy day across the Valley.
A deepening low pressure will drag a strong cold front across Ohio late in the day. A line of thunderstorms will accompany the front and some storms could be strong to severe. High wind gusts is the primary threat.
In addition to the late day storms, the wind will pick up ahead of the front as it approaches, so expect a fairly windy day with winds in the 10 to 15 mph range. Gusts could be as high as 30 mph.
The line of storms should pretty much reside along the front as look to move through east-central Ohio rather quickly.
The Storm Prediction Center has all of east-central Ohio highlighted in the “slight risk” category for severe thunderstorms.
Instability won’t be all that impressive. The line of storms will be moving through at a time where we’re losing the heat of the day. Upper-level winds, however, will be quite brisk and some thunderstorms may tap into that upper-level wind.
While there will be plenty of moisture available, these storms should cook along at a pretty good clip. Pockets of heavy rainfall will be possible, but the speed at which this is moving should preclude any concerns for flooding.
Keep in mind that we’ve had some very good weather for Friday night football so far, but lightning may delay some of this week’s games. We’ll have a full update, including the timing of thunderstorms, in tomorrow’s update. Safety of players and fans is paramount.
Much cooler and drier air will push in behind the cold front and these warm temperatures we’ve been having will exit south.
WEEKEND WEATHER
Those Friday afternoon thunderstorms will usher in much cooler temperatures for the weekend – just in time for Sunday’s equinox. High pressure will build back in to bring a dry, but cool, weekend.
While Saturday will be the cloudier day of the weekend with high clouds overhead, the largest change you will notice is the temperature. For the most part, temperatures will struggle to reach 70 degrees for the afternoon high. Sunday will be a sunnier day with highs in the afternoon around 71.
NEXT WEEK
After a dry and autumn-like weekend, an upper-level trough will develop and travel from the Midwest and track to the east. Disturbances riding along the trough will keep the threat for showers through mid-week. The big difference next week will be the obvious trend of cooler temperatures.
