Ohio is at the warmest point of a sunny Friday afternoon, with high pressure in control and no hazardous weather expected anywhere in the state, according to the National Weather Service. Columbus was sunny at 68 degrees early this afternoon with a north wind at 7 mph and humidity near 35 percent, and highs are topping out from the mid-60s in the north to the lower 70s in the south. The National Weather Service offices in Cleveland and Wilmington both say no hazardous weather is expected today or tonight, and there are no watches, warnings or advisories in effect on land in Ohio. The patchy dense fog that slowed parts of Mercer, Auglaize and Darke counties this morning, with visibilities below a half mile at times according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, has long since lifted.
In northwest Ohio, the afternoon stays bright and crisp. Toledo, Findlay, Defiance and Lima are climbing only into the low to mid-60s, with the National Weather Service forecast matrices showing a high near 65 around Kenton and Ada, under mostly sunny skies and a light north wind turning northeast. Northeast Ohio is the cool corner again, with Cleveland, Akron and Youngstown in the upper 50s to low 60s as north winds off Lake Erie ease, and waves of 1 meter or less are expected on the lake this afternoon and tonight, according to the National Weather Service marine forecast.
Central Ohio gets a near-perfect fall afternoon. Columbus holds sunny and near 69 degrees through the late afternoon before cooling after sunset at 6:31 p.m., with temperatures sliding into the low 60s by 7 p.m. and the 50s by 9 p.m. Southwest Ohio is the warm spot, with Cincinnati sunny and near 72 degrees today, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, and Dayton in the upper 60s to around 70. Southeast Ohio follows the same dry script around Athens, Marietta and Portsmouth, with sunshine, highs in the upper 60s to near 70, and no precipitation forecast for the next 48 hours in the Pittsburgh office’s hydrologic outlook, which expects area rivers to remain steady or gradually fall.
Tonight is the focus for the rest of the day, and it stays dry in every region — good news for Friday night playoff football across Ohio. Clouds will increase statewide, but rain chances remain at or near zero. Columbus expects partly cloudy skies with a low in the mid-40s, Cleveland and Toledo cool into the mid-40s, and Cincinnati bottoms out near 49 with increasing clouds and a light northeast wind, according to the National Weather Service. Fans heading to kickoff in the 60s in the south and the upper 50s to low 60s in the north should expect a steady chill by the final whistle and bring a jacket.
Halloween on Saturday turns mostly cloudy but remains dry for trick-or-treaters statewide. The National Weather Service forecasts highs in the mid-60s in Columbus, near 69 in Cincinnati, and in the 60s across northern Ohio, with east winds of 3 to 8 mph and rain chances still near zero during the day. Saturday night stays cloudy as well, before the pattern begins to change on Sunday, when a chance of rain returns mainly after 2 p.m. in the Cincinnati area, with a 40 percent chance there, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, and light showers may accompany a warm front elsewhere Sunday night into Monday.
The extended outlook turns milder and wetter next week. The National Weather Service in Cleveland expects above-normal temperatures to remain in place, becoming well above normal Tuesday and Wednesday, while shower chances increase from Monday night onward. The National Weather Service in Wilmington also sees occasional rain chances continuing into the first half of next week, with rain likely and a 60 percent chance by Wednesday around Cincinnati and a high near 72. For tonight, though, there are no weather concerns for travel or games — just cooling temperatures, increasing clouds, and a dry start to the Halloween weekend.
Photo: David Ohmer, CC BY