Dry New Year’s Eve gives way to a wet start for the new year

Published 9:00 AM EDT Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Today will start out dry and cloudy but rain showers will eventually move into our area later this afternoon.

A warm southerly breeze will keep temperatures high enough to support rain until a cold front slips south through east-central Ohio late tonight. There can be a brief period of snow behind the front around midnight but this shouldn’t amount to much more than a light coating if anything.

Those south winds could also get a little gusty this afternoon with some gusts in the 20 to 30 mph range. Temperatures today will be relatively warm with afternoon highs in the upper-40s. Some of our southern communities could see 50°.

NEW YEAR’S EVE
High pressure building to our north will push the cold front south of the Valley Thursday morning. That will bring an end to precipitation locally and bring us a dry New Year’s Eve. We will even get some peaks of sun through the clouds. Temperatures will be about 10°/12°cooler than today, however, with afternoon highs in the mid to upper-30s.

NEW YEAR’S DAY
As high pressure shifts to the east on New Year’s Day, a storm system will track into the Ohio Valley. Precipitation in various forms will spread south to north into the Valley on New Year’s Day.

As moisture increases on Friday morning there can be a brief period of freezing rain and/or a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet. It will depend on exactly how quickly precipitation can get underway in the morning. It wouldn’t last long and any ice accumulation locally should be light, but it can cause some slick spots of you’re out and about.

It will be iffy if we see any freezing rain here. If we do, it won’t be much. Rain moving in a bit later in the morning would all but eliminate the freezing rain potential locally.

Temperatures will warm up in the afternoon and all precipitation should switch over to rain for the rest of the day. Rain totals from the two systems have decreased with recent model runs. We could see around an inch or so of rain in the Valley over the next 72 hours.

WEEKEND OUTLOOK
The rain will push out of the region Friday night leaving us with a dry period for Saturday. Another weaker system will cross east-central Ohio and bring chances for light precipitation Saturday night and Sunday. Mild temperatures in the mid-40s on Saturday will cool to seasonal normal on Sunday. Quiet weather with seasonal temperatures is expected to carry into the first new week of the new year.

I wish everyone in the Valley a better year in 2021. I know 2020 has been difficult for many of my friends and neighbors and I do hope for better times in the new year. Thank you so much for your support during this very problematic year. For you to rely on TUSCWeather for your local weather info means the world to me. I promise to keep doing what I love to do and continue to keep you informed as best I can without hype and drama. We all see enough of that from the media – social media or otherwise.

Be safe (and kind) out there.

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