Ohio’s cloud cover is holding through the rest of Monday afternoon, November 2, with mild temperatures for early November and no watches, warnings or advisories in effect anywhere in the state. The National Weather Service’s active-alerts feed for Ohio showed no alerts early Monday afternoon, and the forecast for the evening commute is mostly dry — the only rain chance is a stray shower in central and southern Ohio before the clouds begin to clear late tonight.
Afternoon highs are landing in the mid- to upper 60s statewide on south winds. The Weather Service calls for mostly cloudy skies and a high near 66 degrees in Toledo, partly sunny skies and a high near 65 in Cleveland, mostly cloudy and near 65 in Columbus, mostly cloudy and near 67 in Dayton, mostly cloudy and near 68 in Cincinnati, and mostly cloudy and near 66 in Athens. Columbus was cloudy at 57 degrees early this afternoon, after light rain earlier in the day, with a south wind near 8 mph.
Northwest and Northeast Ohio stay dry through the evening. Toledo remains mostly cloudy tonight, and Cleveland has only a slight chance of rain before 1 a.m., with the Weather Service in Cleveland expecting the cloud deck to thin later tonight. Akron shares the mostly cloudy pattern this evening after a partly sunny afternoon with a high near 69 degrees.
Central, Southwest and Southeast Ohio carry the evening shower chance. Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati each have about a 30 percent chance of rain in the evening — in Cincinnati’s case mainly before 9 p.m. — before skies turn partly cloudy after midnight, according to the Weather Service in Wilmington. Athens has a slight chance of rain before 11 p.m. Any shower that does form should be brief, and roads should stay dry except where a passing shower briefly wets the pavement.
Tonight stays mostly cloudy and mild, with lows in the low to mid-50s in most of Ohio: near 54 degrees in Toledo, Cincinnati and Dayton, near 53 in Cleveland, and near 55 in Columbus. Athens, in Southeast Ohio, is the coolest spot in the state at near 50 degrees. South winds continue overnight at about 5 to 10 mph, and no frost, freeze, flooding or severe-weather concern is in the outlook.
Tuesday is Election Day, and it is the clear break in the pattern. The Weather Service expects sunny skies and a high near 72 degrees in Toledo, mostly sunny skies and near 71 in Cleveland, mostly sunny and near 75 in Columbus, mostly sunny and near 75 in Dayton and Athens, and mostly sunny and near 76 in Cincinnati. No rain is expected during the day, so voters should find dry, warm conditions across Ohio.
The dry Election Day does not last into midweek. Rain chances build on Wednesday, with rain likely in Columbus — mainly after 1 p.m., with a high near 74 — in Dayton and in Cincinnati, a chance of rain in Toledo and Athens, and rain becoming likely Wednesday night in Cleveland. Wednesday night brings the steadiest rain, with the Weather Service calling for rain in Columbus and Cincinnati and amounts of a quarter to a half inch possible around Columbus, so Wednesday night travel is the part of the week to plan around.
Photo: MemeGod27, CC BY