Ohio’s mild Thursday is spending its afternoon in the sun, but the evening brings the first step of a cooler change, with rain likely across parts of northern Ohio tonight and no watches, warnings or advisories in effect statewide Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Mid-afternoon readings ranged from 53 in Mansfield and 54 in Lima to 61 in Columbus, Dayton and Youngstown, 63 in Cincinnati and 64 in Athens, under sunny to partly cloudy skies and a gusty southwest wind.
The rest of the afternoon stays dry everywhere. Highs finish near 57 in Toledo, 55 in Lima, 56 in Cleveland and Mansfield, and 60 to 62 in Akron, Columbus and Dayton, on southwest winds of 10 to 18 mph gusting to 25 to 31 mph in the northwest and north-central counties, the National Weather Service in Cleveland said. Cincinnati reaches near 63 and Athens near 64 before clouds begin to increase from the northwest late in the day.
In northwest Ohio, tonight is the wet part of the forecast. Rain is likely around Toledo and Lima, mainly after 9 p.m. in the Lima area, with lows near 47 in both cities and winds shifting from the south to the northwest after midnight, according to the National Weather Service. Northeast Ohio turns partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of rain showers in Cleveland and a slight chance in Akron, Mansfield and Youngstown, where lows fall to 44 to 47.
Central, southwest and southeast Ohio stay largely dry tonight. Columbus and Dayton turn partly cloudy with lows near 45 and only a slight chance of a shower well after midnight, the National Weather Service in Wilmington said. Cincinnati is partly cloudy near 46, and Athens, under mostly clear skies, is the coldest spot in the state tonight at near 41, according to the National Weather Service in Charleston.
Friday keeps the split and adds the chill. Rain is likely in Youngstown, Akron and Mansfield and early in Toledo, with a chance of showers in Cleveland and Lima, while Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati and Athens turn sunny, according to the National Weather Service offices serving Ohio. Highs cool sharply into the low to mid-50s — near 50 in Toledo, 53 to 56 in the northeast, and 54 to 57 farther south — on northwest winds gusting into the low 20s in the north.
Friday night is the coldest night of the stretch, with lows of 32 to 37 statewide, before Saturday brings another chance of rain in northern and northeast Ohio — rain is likely again in Youngstown — while the south stays sunny in the mid-50s. Sunday rebounds sunnier and milder, with highs in the upper 50s from Toledo to Athens and near 58 in Columbus and Dayton.
For travelers, the rest of Thursday is dry driving statewide, with the gusty southwest wind the main nuisance for high-profile vehicles. Drivers in northwest and northeast Ohio should plan for wet roads tonight and Friday morning, and gardeners in colder spots should protect sensitive outdoor plants ahead of Friday night’s lows in the low to mid-30s. No severe weather is expected, and the National Weather Service expects tonight’s northern rain to be light.
Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY