Ohio’s Election Day warm spell is spending its last night in charge. Temperatures were still holding at 66 degrees in Cleveland and Toledo, 68 in Columbus and 73 in Cincinnati around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, with no watches, warnings or advisories in effect anywhere in Ohio, according to the National Weather Service. Clouds are thickening from the west overnight, and rain arrives late tonight in the southwest before spreading across the whole state on Wednesday.
It stays mild all night by November standards. Lows settle near 63 in Toledo, near 62 in Cleveland, Dayton and Cincinnati, near 61 in Columbus, near 58 in Athens and near 56 in Youngstown — well above the typical lows in the upper 30s and lower 40s for the first week of November. South winds stay up through the night, gusting as high as 28 miles per hour around Toledo and 22 around Cleveland, which helps keep temperatures from falling far.
In the northwest, Toledo turns partly cloudy with a chance of rain after about 5 a.m. Northeast Ohio stays dry overnight as clouds increase: Cleveland is partly cloudy with south winds gusting as high as 22 miles per hour, and Youngstown starts mostly clear before clouds move in late. The rain reaches the north on Wednesday, with a chance of showers around Cleveland before early afternoon, then rain likely — possibly with a thunderstorm — through the afternoon.
The change begins first in the southwest. Cincinnati and Dayton both see a chance of showers after about 1 to 2 a.m., with showers and thunderstorms becoming likely toward sunrise and precipitation chances reaching 70 to 80 percent before morning. Central Ohio is partly cloudy in Columbus with showers arriving late tonight into Wednesday morning, and in the southeast, Athens is partly cloudy overnight with its rain holding off until Wednesday morning.
Wednesday is wet and windy in every region. Rain spreads from the southwest and central Ohio during the morning across the north during the day, becoming likely in Youngstown after about 1 p.m. Highs run near 68 in Columbus, near 69 in Toledo and Cincinnati, and near 70 in Dayton and Athens, with Cleveland and Youngstown reaching the lower and middle 70s early before temperatures fall into the 60s in the afternoon behind the rain. South winds gust as high as 28 to 30 miles per hour in western and central Ohio, and higher along Lake Erie.
Rainfall is heaviest in the southwest. The weather service expects 1 to 2 inches around Cincinnati on Wednesday and three quarters to 1 inch around Dayton, a half to three quarters of an inch around Columbus, and a quarter to a half inch in much of northern and eastern Ohio, including Toledo, Cleveland, Youngstown and Athens, with additional rain Wednesday night in the east. Drivers should plan on wet roads all day Wednesday, slower travel in the heavier downpours and possible ponding in low-lying and poorly drained spots, especially in southwestern Ohio.
Thursday brings the break, with rain ending Wednesday night and skies turning mostly to partly sunny statewide — highs of 62 in Toledo, 65 in Cleveland, 67 in Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati, 68 in Youngstown and 71 in Athens. Friday cools the north, with a chance of rain and a high near 56 in Toledo while southern Ohio holds in the lower and middle 60s, and the weekend returns to a more seasonal November pattern. For tonight, anyone still out needs nothing more than a light jacket; the umbrella belongs by the door for Wednesday morning in the west and southwest and for Wednesday afternoon in the east.
Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY