CLEVELAND — Expect a quieter day today as winds begin to shift, helping to put an end to the lake effect snow...for now. Clouds will mix with sunshine for the rest of us with temps rising into the low 30s this afternoon. Then the action returns.
We have a Weather Impact Alert starting later Wednesday and continuing Wednesday night through the day Thursday. This all stems from a powerful clipper system that will blow through the Great Lakes and northern Ohio with strong winds (over 45 mph at times), bursts of snow and a hit of arctic cold. Lake effect snow will takeover Thursday behind this system before winding down Friday.
Here's how we expect this to move through:
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
The wind will become quite gusty with on-and-off snow developing as the system approaches with good "lift" in our atmosphere. Temps in the mid 30s.
WEDNESDAY EVENING
On-and-off bursts of big wet snowflakes with gusty winds. Temps in the low 30s.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
The arctic front will blow through with strong winds and a burst of snow for most locations in northern Ohio. This burst could reduce visibility and put down a coating to an inch of quick snow. Scattered snow continues Wednesday night with strong winds producing blowing and drifting snow, especially in the snowbelt. Temps will plummet from the 30s to the 10s with wind chills diving below zero for the first time this season.
THURSDAY
Scattered snow transitions to lake effect snow. Much colder with wind chills in the single digits or just below zero for much of the day. Where the lake effect bands set up, we could have blizzard conditions at times as winds gust over 45 mph, especially near the lake.
THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY
Lake snows will continue in the primary snowbelt with gusty winds. Winds will eventually subside with lake snows winding down Friday. When all is said and done, some portions of the snowbelt could pick up another half a foot to a foot of snow.
Our pattern looks to flip next week with a rainy, warmer weather forecast at least for the first half of next week. We'll need to keep an eye on how much rain is on the way as flood concerns are possible in the snowbelt east of Cleveland.
3-DAY FORECAST
TODAY: Any lake snows come to an end giving way to clouds and sun. Low 30s.
WEDNESDAY: Clouds move in with snow developing later in the day. Becoming windy. Low to mid 30s.
THURSDAY: Windy with lake effect snow. Blowing and drifting snow. Much colder with highs in the mid to upper 20s.
Here are some quick weather resources you can use:
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