Ohio settles into a cloudy, cold Saturday night with temperatures falling into the 30s statewide, according to the National Weather Service. Columbus was cloudy near 43 degrees at 9 p.m., and overnight lows range from about 33 in Mansfield and 34 in Defiance to 38 in Columbus, 39 in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dayton, and 35 in Toledo and Athens. No watches, warnings or advisories are in effect for Ohio land areas, and no severe weather is expected. The one active alert is on the water: a Small Craft Advisory for Lake Erie’s nearshore waters 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 is the wet corner of the state again overnight. Around Cleveland, rain and snow showers are likely, with a 60 percent chance of precipitation, a low near 39, and northwest winds around 12 mph gusting as high as 24 mph. Youngstown has a 50 percent chance of rain and snow showers after 10 p.m. with a low near 36, and Akron has a 30 percent chance after midnight with a low near 36. Any rainfall stays light, at less than a tenth of an inch.
Northwest and central Ohio stay mostly dry. Toledo is mostly cloudy near 35, Defiance drops to about 34, and Mansfield is mostly cloudy near 33. Columbus is cloudy near 38 with a 30 percent chance of rain showers after 2 a.m. The south is quieter: Cincinnati is cloudy near 39 with no rain expected, Dayton is cloudy near 39 with a slight 20 percent chance of a shower between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., and Athens is cloudy near 35.
Sunday stays cloudy and chilly, with highs in the middle and upper 40s. The best rain and snow shower chances remain in the north: Cleveland 50 percent near 48, Youngstown 50 percent near 46, and Akron 40 percent near 46, again with less than a tenth of an inch expected. Columbus is cloudy near 45, Mansfield mostly cloudy near 45, and Athens has scattered showers before 1 p.m. with a 30 percent chance, a high near 47, and temperatures falling to around 42 in the afternoon. The northwest does a little better, partly sunny near 47 in Toledo and 48 in Defiance, while Cincinnati reaches about 49 and Dayton about 47.
Sunday night brings more clouds and another cold night, with lows from about 29 in Defiance to 32 in Toledo, 34 in Columbus and Akron, 35 in Dayton and Cincinnati, and 33 in Athens. Plan on a heavy coat for Monday morning. Boaters should stay off Lake Erie until the Small Craft Advisory expires Sunday morning, and drivers in the northeast on Sunday should leave extra room on wet roads during the showers.
The week ahead is the good news. Monday turns mostly sunny with highs from about 49 in the northeast to 51 in Columbus and 53 in Dayton and Cincinnati, then a mostly clear night with lows in the upper 20s to lower 30s. Tuesday is sunny in the middle 50s, and the warm-up builds — Columbus reaches about 59 on Wednesday, 62 on Thursday and 64 on Friday under mostly sunny skies. After one more gray, cold Sunday, Ohio gets a brighter, milder week.