1 DAY OUT from a Strong Winter Storm! It will move into Northern Ohio overnight/early Friday morning and linger into Christmas morning bringing significant impacts to Holiday shoppers, travelers and gatherers.
Thursday will be the last mild day with temperatures in the 40s. A few rain showers will be possible during the afternoon and wind will be increasing. Then a strong artic cold front will move thru the area between 2 and 5 am Friday morning with temperatures falling rapidly behind it. We will see thermometers drop from the 40s into the teens and lower 20s by the end of the AM rush.
Leftover liquid from rain showers ahead of the front, will rapidly freeze on all untreated surfaces. A quick burst of 2-4 inches of snow will also accompany the front. Travel on Friday morning will be extremely difficult for many across Northern Ohio. Dry, cold and windy weather will settle in for Friday afternoon with wind gusts between 40 and 50+ mph, especially near the lakeshore. Temperatures will continue to fall through the afternoon into the single digits and teens with wind chills below zero. For most of us, that will likely be the end of the accumulating snow. Lake enhanced snow returns Friday evening for shoreline communities in Lake & Ashtabula Counties.
Everyone will experience bitterly cold temperatures overnight, and wind chills below between -20 & -30 degrees. Strong wind gusts above 50 mph will cause extensive blowing snow for travelers. On Saturday, I expect mainly flurries for Northern Ohio. A squall in the primary snowbelt could continue to deposit moderate to heavy snow, making travel east on Interstate 90 very slow. High temperatures will struggle up to between 7 and 15 degrees. Wind chills will stay between -5 and -20 degrees during the day. Gusty winds between 30 & 50 mph will continue to cause blowing snow and limit visibilities. Light snow and flurries will continue across the area Saturday night through Christmas Day. A heavier snow squall will likely continue along the shoreline of Lake and Ashtabula Counties with additional snow accumulations. It will be windy, but local travel should improve by Christmas morning. Highs on Christmas Day will top out in the teens with wind chills below zero.
What To Expect:
- Winter Storm Warning into Saturday morning
- Wind Chill Warning into Saturday morning
- Rain changing to snow tonight
- 2-4" of snow by 8am
- Temperatures plummet to near 0 by noon Friday
- Another 1-3" of snow Friday morning
- Wind gusts 40 to 60 mph
- Wind chills -20 to -30 thru Friday night
- Squalls continue in the snowbelt thru Christmas
- FRIGID Christmas
Daily Breakdown:
Thursday Night: Rain changing to snow. 2-4" by 8am. Wind gusts to 40 mph. Temperatures plummet. | Low: 12º
Friday: 1-3" snow during the AM rush. Falling Temps. Very windy. Gusts to 55 mph. Much Colder. Chills to -25 | Temp: 0 by mid-afternoon.
Christmas Eve: Partly cloudy. Widely scattered snow. Lake effect snow possible east. Still windy. Very Cold. Chills to -20. | High: 8º
Christmas Day: Isolated flakes. Cloud/sun mix. Very cold. | High: 14º
Monday: Mostly cloudy. Cold. | High: 24º
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy. Not as Cold. | High: 30º
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