A strong cold front will bring increasing chances of showers and thunderstorms to the east-central Ohio region on Wednesday afternoon and evening.
Temperatures across our area will warm to the low to mid-70s and become moderately unstable ahead of the cold front during the early afternoon on Wednesday. These conditions will likely support showers and thunderstorms ahead and along the approaching cold front – some of which could be strong to severe.
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has placed our area in a Level 2 – Slight Risk – of severe storms, mainly for the potential for damaging wind gusts.
As of today (Monday), timing in our area looks to be mid-afternoon into early evening. The timing will come into better focus when we get into the range of the high-resolution computer models over the next 24 – 36 hours.
A sharp temperature drop will follow the passage of the front on Wednesday night, raising the potential for light snow showers and/or flurries after midnight into Thursday morning. Current modeling suggests only minor chances (20/30%) of an inch of snow locally. Warm ground temperatures will further limit snow accumulation.
Uncertainties related to the potential for severe storms on Wednesday include the possibility of rain and/or thunder developing in the early morning hours, and the amount of cloud cover after sunrise. Either of these factors could limit the instability that builds in the region later in the day, reducing the potential for storms to meet severe criteria.
