Ohio heads into Saturday night under a solid cloud deck, with lows in the middle and upper 30s for most of the state and rain and snow showers lingering in the northeast, according to the National Weather Service. Lows tonight reach about 35 in Toledo, 34 in Mansfield, 39 in Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton, and 36 in Athens. No watches, warnings or advisories are in effect for Ohio land areas, but the National Weather Service in Cleveland has a Small Craft Advisory for the nearshore waters of Lake Erie from the Islands to Conneaut until 10 a.m. Sunday, with northwest winds of 15 to 25 knots and waves of 4 to 7 feet.
The northeast remains the wet, blustery corner tonight. Around Cleveland, a slight chance of rain early this evening turns to rain and snow showers likely, with a chance of precipitation near 60 percent, a low around 40, and northwest winds around 15 mph gusting as high as 25 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland. Around Akron, rain showers are possible before 9 p.m., then rain and snow showers, near 50 percent, on a low around 37. Drivers along Lake Erie and Interstate 90 should expect wet pavement and gusty crosswinds, and boaters should stay off the lake while the advisory is in effect.
Northwest and central Ohio stay dry tonight, just cold and cloudy. Toledo is mostly cloudy with a low around 35 and northwest winds around 6 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland, while Mansfield falls to about 34. Columbus is cloudy with a low around 39 and northwest winds of 3 to 7 mph, with only a slight chance of rain showers after 1 a.m., about 20 percent, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
The south shares the clouds and the chill, with only a small chance of a passing shower late. Cincinnati is cloudy with a low around 39 and northwest winds of 1 to 6 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, and Dayton is cloudy near 39 with a slight chance of rain showers between 2 and 4 a.m., about 20 percent. Athens is mostly cloudy with a low around 36 and isolated rain showers possible after 2 a.m., also about 20 percent, according to the National Weather Service in Charleston, West Virginia.
Sunday is the last day of this gray pattern for most of Ohio, and the northeast stays wettest. Cleveland reaches near 47 with a chance of rain and snow showers near 50 percent, and Akron reaches near 47 with rain and snow showers likely, near 60 percent, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland. Elsewhere it stays dry but cloudy: Toledo is partly sunny near 47, Columbus is cloudy near 45, Dayton is cloudy near 47, Cincinnati is cloudy near 49, and Athens is mostly cloudy near 50, with temperatures there falling to around 44 in the afternoon. Sunday night lows range from about 30 in Athens and 32 in Toledo to 34 in Columbus and 40 in Cleveland.
The week ahead then clears out and warms up day by day, according to the National Weather Service. Monday is sunny for most of Ohio, with highs near 49 in Cleveland, 50 in Toledo and Akron, 51 in Columbus, 53 in Athens and 54 in Cincinnati and Dayton. Tuesday is sunny statewide, from the lower 50s in the northeast to the upper 50s in Cincinnati, and Wednesday stays sunny from the middle 50s along Lake Erie to the lower 60s in the south. Thursday and Friday turn mostly sunny with highs around 60 and into the middle 60s. Clear, calm nights early in the week bring a frost and freeze risk, with Monday night lows near 26 in Athens, 29 in Akron and 31 in Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton.
No hazardous weather is expected on land through the workweek, so tonight and Sunday morning in the northeast are the main travel concern: wet roads, a rain and snow mix and gusts to 25 mph around Cleveland and Akron, and hazardous waves on Lake Erie until Sunday morning. Everywhere else, dress for the 30s tonight and the middle and upper 40s on Sunday, and expect a noticeably brighter, milder Ohio by Monday.
Photo: James St. John, CC BY