Ohio’s warm Monday is at its peak early this afternoon, and the rest of the day stays quiet and dry, with no watches, warnings or advisories in effect anywhere in the state, according to the National Weather Service. Around 2 p.m., Columbus was sunny at 75 degrees, Toledo and Cincinnati sunny at 74, Athens sunny at 71, and Cleveland the cool spot, sunny at 67 with a northwest wind off Lake Erie.
Afternoon highs finish in the upper 60s in northeast Ohio and in the low to mid-70s almost everywhere else. Winds stay light at about 5 mph in most places, and rain chances stay near zero through sunset. It is a dry, easy afternoon and evening for travel, outdoor work and after-school activities statewide.
Region by region, northwest Ohio holds in the low to mid-70s around Toledo, Defiance, Findlay and Lima before cooling this evening, while northeast Ohio stays cooler near the lake, with Cleveland near 67, Akron, Canton and Youngstown in the upper 60s to low 70s, and partly cloudy skies spreading in tonight. On Lake Erie, the National Weather Service expects north winds tonight with waves building to 1 to 3 feet, choppier than this afternoon’s 1 foot or less.
Central Ohio peaks in the mid-70s in Columbus before sliding through the 60s this evening into the upper 50s by 9 p.m. Southwest Ohio is among the warmest areas, with Cincinnati and Dayton in the mid-70s, and southeast Ohio around Athens tops out in the low 70s before a quick evening cool-down into the 50s.
Tonight turns partly cloudy statewide and temperatures fall back into the 40s everywhere. The National Weather Service forecasts lows near 44 around Cleveland, near 48 in Toledo and Cincinnati, and near 49 in Columbus, with calm to light winds in most of the state and a northerly flow in the north. Anyone heading out late will want a jacket, but no rain, flooding or storm impacts are expected overnight.
Tuesday brings another dry, pleasant day, mostly to partly sunny with light east winds. Highs run from the mid to upper 60s in northeast Ohio to the low and mid-70s in central and southwest Ohio, and Tuesday night turns mostly cloudy with lows in the upper 40s to low 50s. Wednesday stays partly sunny with highs in the low 70s, and Thursday looks sunny and a touch warmer, with highs in the mid-70s.
The extended outlook keeps Ohio dry through Friday, with highs in the low to mid-70s, and mostly dry on Saturday, with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s for Halloween weekend plans. The next chance of rain arrives late Saturday night, at about 30 percent, ahead of rain likely on Sunday, November 1, when the National Weather Service puts the chance at 60 percent in parts of the state. Until then, the story is simple: a warm, sunny fall afternoon, a cool, partly cloudy night in the 40s, and no weather disruptions in between.
Photo: James St. John, CC BY