I’ve been talking about this for a couple of days now in my updates and confidence is now fairly high for a widespread high wind event to impact our area on Monday. A strong upper-level low in the far southwest will eject into the Midwest setting up a severe weather event for today and Sunday across the Deep South. While this in itself will not have an impact on our weather locally over the Easter Weekend, it will bring a serious severe event in the South on Easter Sunday.
On Monday, however, the low is forecast to quickly strengthen as it travels into the Great Lakes region. Rain and strong gusty wind will impact east-central Ohio on Monday as the system crosses the Great Lakes. Wind gusts on Monday can reach 40 mph to 50 mph here in the Valley. And, in all honesty, I can’t rule out gusts to 60 mph somewhere in eastern Ohio. This will have the potential to bring down trees and cause power outages. Wind Advisories and/or Warnings are likely for all or portions of the region before the end of the weekend.
Friendly Advice: Take a few minutes over the weekend to secure lawn furniture, trash cans, and any unsecured outdoor items (backyard trampolines?). This will be a big-ticket wind event.
