Scattered snow showers are likely through the day behind the passage of a strong cold front. Very cold weather is expected through the remainder of the week. Temperatures will warm up over the weekend.
I’m not going to spend much time talking about the cold temperatures headed our way. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know that it going to get cold and stay cold for a few days. Just use common sense and you’ll get through this cold spell just fine.
Temperatures today will hold fairly steady in the 19°/17° range. And, we can expect a few scattered light snow showers or flurries through mid-afternoon. There won’t be much in the way of accumulating snow today but it’s cold enough that any snow will stick. There shouldn’t be much more than a half inch – or less – locally.
If you go outdoors today, gusty wind today will have an impact in the form of wind chills. While air temperatures will be in the teens, with the breeze it will feel like 3° to 6°.
The REALLY cold arctic air will push into east-central Ohio tonight with a second reinforcing cold front. Scattered snow showers will develop again tonight as the front crosses. Again, there will not be much moisture to work with and accumulation will be limited to a half inch in spots.
Below-zero temperatures will arrive tonight and the NWS has issued a Wind Chill Warning for early Wednesday morning through early Thursday morning. Wind chill values are expected to get as low as -24° or colder. Air temperatures tomorrow will struggle to reach above zero degrees through the day. That, plus the gusty wind tomorrow warrants the Warning.
Otherwise, with weak high-pressure Wednesday, the Valley will be snow free and we’ll even get into some sunshine.
Wind Chill Warnings are not very common in east-central Ohio. It has only been issued 3 times this decade and the last time one was issued was back in 2015.
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
Thursday will be a sunnier day but temperatures will stay in the single digits. With that persistent breeze, wind chills will stay below zero. A weak low-pressure system will cross Thursday night that may bring a few light snow showers after midnight and into Friday. Snow accumulation from this little system looks largely unimpactful.
Thursday night will be the last bitterly cold night in the Valley. Temperatures will begin to recover some on Friday and afternoon highs will climb out of the single digits to the mid-teens.
THE WEEKEND – FEBRUARY THAW?
After the harsh cold this week the Valley will actually thaw out on Saturday as temperatures rise to above freezing. A venerable heat wave gets underway on Sunday with afternoon temperatures in the upper 40s. It will feel balmy compared to the below-zero temperatures this week. Monday will be even warmer with temperatures projected to reach the low 50s.
Unfortunately, a storm system will move into the Great Lakes region spreading rain into east-central Ohio. Our odds for rain showers will gradually increase Sunday through Monday.
Projected 15-day surface temperatures from the European ensemble model:
