Big weather changes are headed our way! Plan for increasing winds and rain chances with decreasing temperatures throughout Wednesday afternoon and evening. A wintry mix is expected tomorrow with much colder temperatures.
I will break down everything you need to know over the next few days, including potential snowfall totals. Plus, a sneak peek at your weekend forecast.
WIND ALERTS: A wind advisory will be in effect from 3 p.m. Wednesday until midnight Thursday for Cuyahoga, Lorain, Lake, Ashtabula, and Geauga Counties.
West winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. 40 to 45 mph wind gusts are expected elsewhere across Northeast Ohio. Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down, and a few power outages may result.
Winds that are this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles. Use extra caution. The strongest winds will occur Wednesday afternoon and evening and decrease slightly on Thursday. However, winds will increase once on Friday.
There is also a gale warning in effect on the lake for west winds 25 to 35 knots with gusts up to 45 knots and waves 4 to 7 feet expected from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m. this evening.
Strong winds will cause hazardous waves, which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility. Below-normal water levels will result in hazardous navigating conditions.
TEMPERATURE TREND: It has been very mild over the last few days. It actually still is as I type this (around noon on Wednesday)! But temperatures are expected to crash over the next few hours. Plan for mid-40s by the mid-afternoon.
Overnight temperatures will drop to around freezing, and highs on Thursday may not crack by 40 degrees. This will allow for a wintry mix on Thursday, Thursday night, and early on Friday.
With breezy winds, it will feel even colder. Wind chills will likely be in the upper 20s and low 30s on Thursday. Brrr!
RAIN & SNOW CHANCES: All of these changes are being brought to us by a potent low-pressure system that will move into the Great Lakes region and intensify on Wednesday.
It will also drag a cold front through the region, causing a drop in the previously mentioned temperature. The temperature change will be significant enough to see a change from rain to a wintry mix to even snow at times on Thursday and into early on Friday.
Plan for scattered rain showers on Wednesday afternoon and evening. Showers will taper off tonight before another surge of moisture is expected by Thursday morning. Plan for on-and-off precipitation of rain and snow all day on Thursday. It will still be wet on Friday, but it looks like more rain is expected than snow.
There could certainly be slick spots and slushy snow accumulations on Thursday and early Friday. By Friday afternoon, the precipitation type looks to favor rain over snow, but it will be a chilly rain with stronger winds returning.
Scroll through the images of Futurecast to get an idea of when rain arrives, what the precipitation coverage is, and when rain changes to snow. Use these images as a gauge for what to expect over the next two days.
SNOW TOTALS: When all is said and done, we are not expecting high snowfall totals with this storm. It will certainly be messy, but most communities will see less than one inch of snow with isolated higher amounts, particularly in the snowbelt around 1-3".
Any snow bursts could allow for periods of heavy wet snow that will briefly accumulate, but it will be difficult to sustain this accumulation with warm surface temperatures and rain mixing in with the snow. Any accumulation will make it slick and slippery on the roads, though - especially Thursday night and into Friday morning. Give yourself extra time to get out the door on Friday morning. The commute could certainly be negatively impacted by the weather before changing over to more rain than snow by Friday afternoon.
BROWNS FORECAST: Dress warm!!! It will be cold and wet, with some snow mixing in with the rain. It will also be breezy, making it feel even colder.
WEEKEND FORECAST: This low pressure will gradually slide east, bringing widespread precipitation to a slow end.
Lake effect rain showers with some flakes mixing in will continue to be possible on Saturday, but it looks much drier on Sunday. Temperatures will be in the 40s all weekend, which is ever so slightly below average for the end of November.
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