Gusty winds and a few rumbles of thunder will be possible across east-central Ohio this afternoon and evening with a strong cold front. The coldest air of the season moves in tonight raising the possibility for snowflakes.
As we discussed in Friday’s blog, cold front number-two has crossed east-central Ohio this morning. Showers and leftover pockets of drizzle associated with this first system have shifted to the east as well. Other than a renegade spotty shower, we should remain mostly dry here in the Valley through the remainder of the morning and mid-afternoon.
With plenty of cloud cover, the bulk of Saturday morning will be quite dreary. I do expect a few breaks in the clouds this afternoon and maybe even some occasional sun. There is not much in the way of colder air behind this first front and temperatures will actually be relatively mild across the Valley this afternoon. Most neighborhoods will top out in the mid-50s.
Our second – and much stronger cold front – is across the upper Great Lakes region this morning. It will advance into east-central Ohio late this afternoon and any cloud breaks we might have will quickly fill back in. West winds will also begin to pick up this afternoon as the front creeps closer to the region.
I expect rain getting underway here in the Valley late this afternoon/early this evening. With the moderate amount of instability, a few rumbles of thunder is also possible. No severe storms, but those west winds will be fairly gusty at times. Some gusts to 30 MPH will be possible.
The winds, while gusty, should remain below advisory criteria. Wind advisories are in effect for central and western Ohio counties where gusts are expected to reach 50 mph at times.
Rain will continue through the rest of the evening and overnight. This second front will usher in much colder air both at the surface and aloft. Yes. Cold enough for snow. I expect we will see our first flakes of the season to start mixing in with rain after midnight tonight.
Gusty winds will begin to die down behind the front later tonight. Those who rise early Sunday morning may see some patchy light snow falling but accumulation will be limited to areas along and north of I-80.
Hi-res FutureCast radar today through 1:00 AM Sunday:
Building high pressure will bring an end to any precipitation here Sunday morning. Clouds will begin to break by Sunday afternoon with increasing sunshine through the day.
The front will usher in the coldest air of the season so far. Temperatures on Sunday will not do much better than the mid-40s across the Valley – and that’s being generous.
The cold won’t last long, however. Temperatures will warm back to the mid-50s by Monday under mostly sunny skies.
Love the Wind Level meter…lol The Trash can is too funny!!