Cold temperatures and winterlike conditions returned to the Valley overnight as we expected. And, while snow impacts were minor locally, gusty west wind and cold temperatures will make it feel much worse if you’re outdoors today.
Low pressure has pulled off well to our north and east this morning and the bulk of wintry precipitation associated with it as well. Folks in western New York and some parts of the New England states will see blizzard conditions and snow accumulations measured in feet with this storm. Back here in the Valley, any snow showers we see today will be mainly wrap-around lake effect snow showers.
Snow showers today will likely remain focused on the primary snow belt areas of northeast Ohio where additional snow accumulation is likely. There can be an occasional quick-hitting snow shower here and there through the day, but any accumulation locally will be light and non-impactful.
Temperatures today won’t warm much higher than the upper-20s across the Valley. The wind, though, will keep wind chill values well in the lower to mid-teens.
The cold air sticks around tonight and Friday. And, we will need to keep a slight chance for a light snow shower going through the end of the week.
WEEKEND OUTLOOK
As I discussed in previous updates, this blast of wintry cold is not destined to last long. Model runs have trended more aggressively toward a faster warmup. While Saturday still looks like a chilly day with highs around the freezing mark, projected temperatures for Sunday have soared to 50°. It doesn’t look like the sunniest of weekends, but with weak high pressure beginning to build back in by Saturday evening, we can expect dry weather here in the Valley.
NEXT WEEK
The warming trend that gets underway over the weekend continues into mid-week next week. We could be flirting with 60° by the middle of the week. Whether we get that warm or not will depend largely on how rain showers happen to play out early next week. The models project an upper-level trough moving into our sphere of influence on Monday raising the prospects for rain. Chances for rain will continue into mid-week with this feature.
The Climate Prediction Center does indicate that above-average temperatures and precipitation are likely through next week.
