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Get ready for a week of whiplash weather

Cleveland forecast from the Power of 5 weather team

By: Katie McGraw

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and last updated

Happy last week of February! March begins on Friday with one extra day of February, thanks to Leap Day! The last few days of February and into early March will be a wild weather ride. There is something for everyone! Cool temps, warm temps, sunny days, stormy days, and even a snow chance! Let's break it all down for you in this quick summary!

YO-YO TEMPERATURES: Sunday morning was frigid! Temps were in the 20s only for the first half of the weekend and felt even colder thanks to breezy winds. The winds have shifted to the south and will help give the temperatures a big boost this afternoon. Plan for highs in the mid to upper 40s on Sunday. That is about 20 degrees warmer than Saturday. However, the southerly breeze will pick up this afternoon with gusts of 20-30 mph. The winds will make the 40s feel more like the 30s.

The rapid warm-up continues during the work week! We climb another ten degrees on Monday and about another ten degrees on Tuesday. Tuesday looks to be the warmest day, with highs in the 60s! Wednesday will start off warm, with temps close to 60 degrees, but as a cold front slides through, temps are expected to drop throughout the day dramatically. It will be much colder by Leap Day - plan for the 30s. The chill is brief, though! By the first day of March, temps will rebound back into the 50s! It looks like March will be coming in like a lamb this year.

SUN, STORMS, AND SNOW: Not only will the temperatures be all over the board, but so will the other conditions. There is only a slim shot for a shower this evening, so much of your Sunday looks dry. A quick morning shower on Monday will lead to another mainly dry day. However, rain and storm chances creep up on Tuesday as a strong area of low pressure moves over the region and drags a cold front through Ohio Tuesday night into Wednesday. There are still some timing issues with this system, but as of Sunday morning, it appears the best chance for widespread showers and storms will be late Tuesday and into Wednesday.

There is also a possibility some of these storms could become strong or severe. The Storm Prediction Center has a portion of our viewing area under a risk for severe weather on Tuesday. There is a better chance for severe to the west in Illinois and Indiana during Tuesday afternoon. Our western communities in the green represent a marginal risk for severe weather. This is a level 1 out of 5 and means a couple of storms could become big and strong and bring the threat of damaging wind gusts. We will be watching this system closely in the days to come, but because it has been a while since we have had to deal with severe weather, it's good to have an early heads-up! Even if we do not see severe storms, it appears heavy rain and stronger winds are likely Tuesday into Wednesday.

Following the cold front, temperatures fall, and there will be a transition from rain over to snow by Wednesday night. The snow doesn't look to last long, though. Thursday will be mainly dry and chilly, but as previously mentioned, the chill will be quick! Looking into the first few weeks of March, there is a STRONG signal for above-average temps, too!