A quick thump of wet snow tonight and a hard freeze Wednesday night

Posted 10:00 AM Tuesday, April 20, 2021

I see a lot of chatter on social media about the snow that’s expected tonight and Wednesday morning. The latest data is in this morning so I thought I would do a quick outline on what we can expect to see here in the Valley.

A weak cold front dropped south through east-central Ohio early this morning with little fanfare. The only effects we will see here today will be from temperatures. Today will be a bit cooler than yesterday depending on exactly how far south the colder air can reach. There will be a sharp gradient where this happens to set up.

Temperatures today will be much colder north of the front and there will likely be some rain occasionally in northern Ohio counties. We should see a generally nice day here in the Valley at least until later this afternoon.

Clouds will increase during the afternoon and evening as a storm system approaches from the west. We should stay dry through early tonight. Odds for rain showers will increase as we get toward midnight. Chances for snow locally won’t begin to ramp up until around 4:00 AM Wednesday morning.

As I mentioned yesterday, this will be a quick thump of snow. It will only last a few hours early Wednesday. We should start to see snow taper off and exit eastward by 8:00/9:00 AM. While it will be in-and-out rather quickly, snowfall rates can be impressive at times.

The rest of the day Wednesday will be cold and blustery. Temperatures across the region won’t warm up much more than the upper-30s to around 40°. It will be breezy as well with a gusty northwest wind. There can be a spotty rain shower.

ACCUMULATION
This is the tricky part. Ground temperatures at this point are fairly warm and normally any snow that would fall would quickly melt. However, there are pockets of heavy snowfall rates expected with this system that COULD cause snow to overcome those warm ground temperatures and accumulate quickly in some spots. This is especially true before sunrise. Impacts on area roads will depend on intensity. Heavy snowfall + big flakes = increasing chances of travel problems.

Generally speaking, you might see an inch of wet slushy snow on your car, patio furniture, and such. Any elevated road surfaces like bridges and overpasses will also be more inclined to have slick spots. Snow will have no trouble sticking to your lawn and grassy areas.

IF YOU TRAVEL NORTH FOR SCHOOL OR WORK be prepared for increasing travel problems. Snow amounts are expected to be heavier the farther north from the Valley you travel.

Keep in mind this will all likely occur EARLY in the morning. Road impacts will vary depending on whether or not a particular area gets a quick thump of snow or not. You should have little trouble once we get into mid and late morning.

But wait. There’s more. Temperatures are going to get really cold Wednesday night into Thursday morning. There will be a hard freeze. Temperatures locally will get to the upper-20s and possibly mid-20s in some areas. You’ll need to bring in or cover those flowers and plants. A Freeze Watch is in effect for our area.

AND NOW, SOME GOOD NEWS
Tonight’s snow is certainly a disappointment but it is simply a one-and-done system. It won’t linger long. Temperatures will begin to recover through the weekend and by early next week, we will be back in full spring mode.

Thanks for taking a few minutes out of your day to catch up with our local weather. I’ll post updates here on TUSCWeather and on my Twitter Feed if there are any notable changes. I’m not expecting anything major to change.

Have a great Tuesday and be safe out there.

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