Ohio heads into the overnight hours on Monday, November 2, with no watches, warnings or advisories in effect anywhere in the state, and the National Weather Service showed no active alerts for Ohio late Monday evening. Clouds still cover much of northern Ohio, while skies are already turning partly cloudy in central and southern Ohio — clearing that sets up a sunny, warm Election Day on Tuesday.
Late-evening conditions stayed mild for early November. Cleveland was mostly cloudy at 61 degrees, Youngstown was cloudy at 61 degrees, Akron was cloudy at 59 degrees, and Toledo was cloudy at 57 degrees, while Columbus and Dayton both reported light drizzle at 57 degrees. South winds keep temperatures up overnight, with no frost, freeze, flooding or severe-weather concern.
Northwest and Northeast Ohio hold on to the clouds longest tonight. Toledo stays cloudy near 58 degrees, with a slight shower chance between midnight and 1 a.m. and south winds gusting to about 24 mph. Cleveland is cloudy with a low near 58 degrees and a slight chance of showers before 3 a.m., Akron has a slight chance before 1 a.m. with a low near 54 degrees, and Youngstown has a slight chance before midnight with a low near 53 degrees.
Central, Southwest and Southeast Ohio clear earlier. Columbus turns partly cloudy with a low near 54 degrees on southeast winds near 7 mph, Dayton is partly cloudy near 55 degrees, and Cincinnati is partly cloudy near 55 degrees. Athens, in Southeast Ohio, has a slight chance of drizzle before 10 p.m., then partly cloudy skies and the state’s coolest low, near 50 degrees. Roads should stay dry overnight except where drizzle or a passing shower briefly wets the pavement.
Tuesday is Election Day, and it is the warm, bright peak of the week in every region. The Weather Service expects sunny skies and a high near 78 degrees in Cincinnati, sunny and near 77 in Columbus and Dayton, sunny and near 76 in Athens, and mostly sunny and near 76 in Toledo, Cleveland and Akron, with Youngstown also near 76. South winds gust into the low to mid-20s in places, but no rain is expected, so voters should find dry conditions statewide.
Tuesday night stays mild under partly cloudy skies, with lows near 62 degrees in Toledo and Cleveland, near 60 to 62 degrees in Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati, and near 55 to 58 degrees in Youngstown, Akron and Athens. That calm night is the last quiet stretch before a midweek system moves in.
Rain takes over on Wednesday, with an 80 to 100 percent chance of rain in most of Ohio, a slight chance of thunderstorms in central and southwestern Ohio, and south winds gusting to 24 to 30 mph. Wednesday night brings the steadiest rain, with a quarter to a half inch possible in many areas and a half to three-quarters of an inch possible around Columbus, Athens and Youngstown. A chance of rain lingers early Thursday in northern and eastern Ohio before skies clear and highs settle in the 60s, with Toledo near 63 degrees and most other areas in the mid- to upper 60s.
Photo: Kevin Payravi, CC BY-SA