Posted 9:30 AM Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Yesterday’s official high temperature at the airport of 41° was THE warmest day of the month – so far. And, it’s the first time we reached 40° since January 26. It may have been 41° but with the breezy SW winds, it sure didn’t feel that warm. With the positive news I discussed yesterday of a pattern shift to warmer temperatures, I suspect that we’ve seen the last of the harsh winter cold for quite a while.
If you venture outside this morning you notice the considerable reduction of snow on the ground. Snow and ice melt will continue today with temperatures this afternoon warming to around 43°.
A warm front comes through the region this morning. There is not much moisture to squeeze out of this but I can’t rule out a quick hit of light snow or drizzle as it makes its way across the area. Clouds will likely dominate the skies today but clouds will erode during the afternoon. There may be a little sun – which will speed up the melting process. We’ll remain dry overnight with lows around 32° or so.
The better odds of sunshine arrive on Wednesday. We will also get into some heavy snow and ice melt as temperatures warm to the upper-40s. There is a good chance many neighborhoods get to 50° for the afternoon high. Back on January1 and 2 we reached 51°, so we would need to hit 52° to make tomorrow the warmest day of the year so far.
A weak cold front crosses on Wednesday as well. This will knock temperatures back to the low-40s for Thursday and Friday. But, the chillier temperatures will be offset by sunshine and dry conditions. Average highs at New Phila for late February run around 42°/43° so despite being a little cooler to end the workweek we won’t be far from average.
WEEKEND OUTLOOK
Weak low pressure will cross the Great Lakes region and this could spark a little mixed precipitation Friday night. High pressure then builds overhead to bring dry weather back to east-central Ohio Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures through the weekend will warm back to the upper-40s to around 50°.
A cold front moves through the region Sunday night into Monday. Confidence in precipitation chances preclude making a definite assessment about this but I’ve included chances for showers in the forecast late Sunday into Monday morning. Temperatures behind the front will once again drop back to around average.
NEXT WEEK
We close out February over the weekend and that brings the end of meteorological winter. I’ll post and update early next week detailing our local winter weather stats and discussion on how this one played out in the Valley. March brings the start of meteorological spring which means we have lots to look forward to.
The latest outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center show that temperatures start out warmer than average as we head into the first week of March. The warmth may come at a price. It might not be the sunniest period with the potential for several bouts of precipitation moving through the region.
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Thank you so much for the local weather. I check it every day before I make my plans for that day.
You’re so welcome. Glad to help!