WHAT: The National Weather Service in Cleveland has issued a lake-effect snow warning for Lake and Cuyahoga County and extended a winter weather advisory for Geauga County until early Friday morning. Plan on slippery road conditions and poor visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the commute early on Friday morning.
WATCH: News 5 Meteorologist Mark Johnson went live to track the snow and what to expect for winter.
SLOW DOWN and use extra caution on the roads, especially if it is not treated or an elevated surface like a bridge.
WHEN: Flurries and light snow will be flying this afternoon, but as we near sunset, the next wave of heavy lake-effect snow is expected to swing south and move inland this evening. Snowfall rates could be 1 inch per hour for a few hours, meaning wet accumulation could add up fast for some. The worst of the snow looks to be from 4-9 p.m. Then snow should taper off after midnight.
If you are going outside, watch your first few steps taken on stairs, sidewalks, and driveways. These surfaces could be icy and slippery, increasing your risk of a fall and injury. Any accumulation will be washed away quite quickly on Friday. A wintry mix is expected early, but that should transition to cold rain pretty quickly tomorrow.
Scroll through the images of Futurecast to get an idea about timing, placement of the heaviest snow and coverage of the snow.
HOW MUCH SNOW: Much of the area will still see little to no accumulation, but for some in primary/secondary snowbelts, 1-3 inches will be possible. Communities away from the lake in Cuyahoga and Geauga counties could pick up 3 to 5 inches with an isolated 6 here or there. Right along the immediate lakeshore, we will likely see much smaller totals due to the warmer lake temperatures.
It looks like these two areas will be hit the hardest:
1. Inland Cuyahoga County into eastern Cuyahoga County, such as Euclid, Mayfield, Maple Heights, Beachwood, Shaker Heights, Gates Mills, Pepper Pike, and Hunting Valley.
2. Southern Lake County and Geauga County, such as Middlefield, South Russell, Bainbridge, Burton, Chardon, and Chesterland. While southern Lake County has the best chance of accumulating snow, Mentor, Willoughby, and Painesville could also see accumulation. I would actually argue that Lake County should be under an advisory as well.
Check out the image below of projected snowfall totals to get an idea about where the highest snowfall totals are expected.
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