As we anticipated, rain is widespread across the entire east-central Ohio region today. While there may be a few brief dry periods through the remainder of the day, today will be a washout. We should begin to see rain tapering off tonight as the first of two cold fronts crosses the region and upper-level support shifts northeastward.
Total rainfall today and tonight should amount to a half to three-quarters of an inch locally by Tuesday afternoon.
Colder air will begin moving into the region on Tuesday behind this first cold front. Daytime high temperatures tomorrow will occur in the morning with temperatures falling through the rest of the day. Although I can’t completely rule out afew snowflakes on Tuesday locally, anything that would develop will be light. We might see a dusting in a few spots but nothing enough to bring any issues with travel. The majority of snow on the backend of this system is expected to occur well south of our area.
The coldest and driest air will arrive locally on Wednesday with a second reinforcing cold front. Although the air will be sharply colder on Wednesday, the extreme dryness will help any water on wet roads evaporate and limit icing. High pressure will also bring back the sunshine on Wednesday further reducing any problems with ice on the roads.
As it appears today, Wednesday and Thursday will be THE coldest days of the week – despite the bright sun. Daytime highs won’t do much better than the mid-30s locally. Breezy west winds on Wednesday will make it feel much colder. If you work outside, you’ll need the heavy winter gear. Wind chills in the teens will be an issue.
FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND
High pressure that brings sunny and dry weather Wednesday and Thursday will shift east on Friday. Warmer air in the southerly flow will bring moderating temperatures to the Valley. Afternoon highs look to push back to the mid-40s by Friday afternoon.
Precipitation chances will ratchet up Friday night as the next system approaches from the south. There are differences in the timing and position of the low between the different models at this time but it does appear that light rain is at least possible.
NEXT WEEK
I see plenty of comments on social media, mostly Facebook, from folks bemoaning the lack of snow locally. First, it isn’t even winter yet. Second, I guess they don’t remember that we really don’t normally get much snow here in the Valley. That being said, I am aware of a weather system due early next week that shows some snow potential. Way too soon for any specifics with this wave of low pressure but all of the models are keying in on the possibilities.
LONG RANGE
The long-range temperature outlook is not something you want to see if you’re hoping for a white Christmas. Climate models have been fairly consistent in keeping an above-average temperature regime in place for the eastern US. Warm temperatures will, of course, lessen the odds for snow around Christmas drastically.
