Posted on Friday, March 8, at 12:00 Noon
A low pressure system will move across eastern Ohio over the weekend that will bring rain to the Tuscarawas Valley beginning this afternoon. Rain will continue through Saturday before changing to snow showers Saturday night into Sunday morning. Rainfall could be moderate to heavy at times – especially tonight through Saturday evening.
Rain amounts in our area will amount to an inch to 1.25″ through the weekend and may bring rises in area streams and the Tuscarawas River as well as minor flooding issues across the area.
LOCAL TIMING
Today: Light rain will overspread the area mainly around or after 3:00 pm. Heavier, steadier, and more widespread rainfall will become more likely around sunset this evening.
Tonight and Saturday: Widespread rain is expected to develop tonight with some potential for brief periods of moderate rainfall rates. Rain will continue through Saturday. Total rain amounts will depend on whether or not enough instability can develop Saturday afternoon and bring any thunderstorms to our area. Rainfall could get fairly heavy should thunderstorms develop and move through the area. Heavy rainfall could lead to minor flooding issues.
Along with rain, gusty winds will accompany a crossing cold front Saturday into Sunday. South wind on Saturday will run in the 10 to 15 mph range with gusts around 25 mph. Winds will increase and become westerly late in the day Saturday with gusts as high as 25 to 30 mph Saturday night and Sunday.
Rain will mix with snow and then become all snow showers after midnight Saturday night with falling temperatures.
Sunday: With temperatures around freezing, expect any precipitation on Sunday to be snow. Wind gusts to 30 mph or so will continue into Sunday evening. There is a potential for occasional heavier bands of snow that could briefly cause visibility issues on Sunday. Confidence in this feature is low to medium at this time but I will revisit future model runs to see how this might play out in our area. Right now it’s just something to be aware of.
LOCAL SNOW AMOUNTS
Given that ground temperatures are warm and air temperatures will hover around freezing for a time Sunday morning before climbing to the upper 30s in the afternoon, impactful snow accumulation does not look likely at this point. However, should those more intense bands develop a few slick spots would certainly be a possibility. Again, things are a bit hazy regarding those snow bands setting up and we’ll just have to wait and see if they do indeed turn out to be a ‘thing’.
LOCAL IMPACTS
Rain and the potential for minor flooding in some areas is the highest concern with this system. Expect noticeably higher water levels and flow along the Tusky and Stillwater Creek through early next week. Street flooding will also be an issue.
Gusty winds will also have an impact on Saturday night and Sunday. While there can be a dusting of snow in some areas, no significant snow accumulation is expected at this time. (As I mentioned, this will need to be looked at again tomorrow)
I’ll keep you updated as things progress, particularly about that snow issue on Sunday. Thanks for taking a few minutes to keep up with our local weather. – Joe
