While we have had several opportunities for strong to severe thunderstorms to impact the east-central Ohio region lately, our little Tuscarawas Valley area has been largely spared the worst – so far, anyway. Wednesday will bring another day where the weather setup will be favorable for strong to severe thunderstorms to develop and move through our area.
We really could use some rain, though. We’re currently running about 2.60 inches below normal for June across the area.
Another cold front will approach the region on Wednesday and will provide the focus for showers and thunderstorms. We’ll have a warm, moist, and unstable airmass in place ahead the the front Wednesday morning with dewpoints in the low 70s across the area.
The Storm prediction Center currently has our area highlighted in a Marginal Risk (Level 1 on a scale of 1 – 5) for severe thunderstorms mainly for the period Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday evening.
The primary threat with Wednesday’s storms will be damaging wind gusts. One other weather issue we’ll need to be aware of is the potential for heavy rainfall. There will be abundant moisture for any storms to tap in to. Areas that see multiple rounds of storms could end up with flash flooding issues. (We need the rain but not all at once!)
Overall, the risk of severe storms in our area is pretty low. The risk increases just to our south and east but our area is not completely out of the woods. We simply have a slightly lower risk. Regardless of the potential for strong wind, any storms could put down buckets of rain in a short period. As with all summertime storms, rain totals will vary dramatically from one spot to another.
Showers and storms should diminish in our area around or shortly after sunset Wednesday evening. Then, we’ll be treated to a very nice day on Thursday with decreasing dewpoints and temperatures in the upper 70s. Temperatures will be warmer on Friday but with lower dewpoints once again.
LOCAL TIMING
Wednesday may start out wet in some locations. There can be isolated/scattered showers and perhaps thunder around in the morning. The highest odds for any severe thunderstorms developing and moving into our area looks to be from around 3 pm and 7/8 pm. Spotty storms/showers can develop as early as 10 am, however, given the unstable airmass in place.
Cloud cover and showers/storms earlier in the day will impact the potential for severe storms in our area later in the day. More cloudiness and rain will translate to lower odds of mid-afternoon storms becoming severe.
After a period of quiet weather Thursday and Friday, odds for severe thunderstorms will return on Saturday with another frontal system. Stay with TUSCWeather for your local weather updates.
