The last of Wednesday’s rain is working its way across eastern Ohio late tonight, November 4, while the western half of the state is already drying out, according to the National Weather Service. Around 9 p.m., Youngstown and Athens were still reporting light rain and Marietta had turned clear, while Columbus, Cleveland, Akron and Toledo were cloudy in the low 60s and Cincinnati had fog and mist. No watches, warnings or advisories were in effect for Ohio late Wednesday night.
Western Ohio clears first overnight. Toledo has only a slight chance of rain before 10 p.m. with a low around 52 and gusts as high as 23 mph, and Lima’s isolated showers end before 10 p.m. with a low around 50, the National Weather Service said. Cincinnati and Dayton have patchy drizzle before midnight, then mostly cloudy skies and lows around 50, while Columbus keeps rain likely before midnight with a low around 52.
The northeast and southeast stay wet the longest. Cleveland keeps rain likely before 3 a.m. with a low around 54 and gusts as high as 26 mph, Akron has rain likely before 3 a.m. with a low around 53 and gusts as high as 29 mph, and Youngstown keeps rain until before 5 a.m. with a low around 56, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland. In the southeast, Athens has rain likely before 2 a.m. with a low around 57, and Marietta keeps rain until before 4 a.m. with a low around 60, the National Weather Service in Charleston said. Another tenth to a quarter of an inch is possible across the east.
Anyone driving overnight in eastern Ohio should expect wet roads, ponding in low spots and reduced visibility in the lingering rain, with gusty southwest winds pushing on high-profile vehicles along the Lake Erie shore and across northeast Ohio through the first half of the night. Farther west, roads stay damp even where the rain has ended, so allow a little extra room on the Thursday morning drive until the sun gets to work.
Thursday is a genuinely different day: dry and mild statewide under partly to mostly sunny skies. The National Weather Service forecasts highs near 60 in Toledo, 63 in Cleveland, 64 in Akron, 65 in Dayton, 66 in Columbus and Cincinnati, and 67 in Youngstown, with the warmest air in the southeast, where Athens reaches near 70 and Marietta near 71. Thursday night turns mostly cloudy and cooler, with lows in the middle 40s, and a chance of rain returns late around Toledo and Cleveland.
Friday’s cold front brings the rain back, mainly across the north. Rain is likely in Cleveland with a high near 56 and in Akron near 56, Youngstown has a chance of rain and a high near 59, Columbus has a chance of rain near 58, and Toledo reaches only near 52 with a chance of rain. Southern Ohio mostly sits it out, with only a slight chance of rain in Cincinnati and Dayton, highs in the upper 50s, and a dry, warmer Friday in the southeast, where Athens reaches near 63 and Marietta near 65.
The weekend runs noticeably cooler behind the front. Saturday brings highs in the low to middle 50s statewide, with rain likely lingering around Cleveland while central and southern Ohio turn partly sunny. Saturday night is the coldest of the stretch, with lows near 32 in Athens and Lima, 33 in Dayton, 34 in Cincinnati and 35 in Columbus, so tender outdoor plants in the southern low spots may want cover. Thursday’s sunshine is the day to enjoy — it is the one fully dry, mild day before the colder air settles in.
Photo: Mark Spearman, CC BY