Temperatures will continue to trend warmer this week with plenty of rain opportunities. Our next chances will increase Monday night with the passage of an upper-level system.
02/03/2019 11:08 AM EDT | Sunday morning clouds will slowly decay from the south as warmer air aloft creeps into east-central Ohio behind a warm front. Expect thinning clouds and more sunshine for the region this afternoon. Temperatures will respond to the increasing sun and most neighborhoods should see afternoon highs near 50° – or even a couple/three degrees better depending on how much skies can clear.
We will remain dry overnight with a few spotty clouds. Temperatures remain above freezing tonight and early Monday morning.
Dry weather and sunshine continue into Monday – at least for the bulk of the day. A cold front will move through the region tomorrow evening spreading increasing rain chances for the Valley. Rain showers look likely early Tuesday morning with decreasing odds through mid-morning. Then, dry conditions along with an occasional peak of sun return in the afternoon.
Temperatures will be quite warm Monday – at least by early February standards with highs in the mid-50s. Cooler air will move in behind Monday night’s cold front. That will knock us back to the low-40s for the afternoon high.
MIDWEEK FORECAST CHALLENGES
The forecast presents a bit of a problem as we get toward midweek. Sunday morning’s modeling isn’t a lot of help playing out a wave of low pressure crossing the region Tuesday night into Wednesday. The main question will be the placement of cold air and precipitation type. For today, our forecast will include a slight chance for a wintry mix of rain and snow showers early Wednesday before temperatures increase with daytime heating. Cold rain showers will then be likely in the afternoon.
Depending on where and when the cold air finally settles, the Wednesday morning mix may bring some issues for the morning commute. Confidence in timing and placement is low to medium this far out.
The forecast challenges continue into Thursday as the next weather system moves out of the Rockies and spreads moisture into the Ohio Valley. This system will stall out a frontal boundary somewhere in Ohio. Where exactly the boundary stalls is the big question. With abundant amounts of moisture available, where this boundary finally sets up with bring huge differences in rain amounts Thursday and Friday.
A wet weather pattern appears to be almost certain for the latter part of the work week and there is a potential for quite a bit of rain – enough to bring flooding issues. Whether this will affect us locally will need to be watched and those who are near flood-prone areas should remain aware of the forecast for later in the week.
NEXT WEEKEND
Things will begin to dry out once again Friday night and into next weekend. Temperatures will be more in tune with the season, however, with afternoon highs in the low 30s.
Despite the warm temperatures this week, it is still winter. Seasonal temperatures look to return by the weekend.
