Columbus and Central Ohio Weather
QUICK WEATHER FORECAST:
- Tonight: Mostly cloudy, chilly breezy, low 25
- Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, high 37
- Wednesday: Snow early, then changing to wet snow/rain late AM, high 39
- Thursday: Snow showers, high 33
- Friday: Few Flurries, high 33
FORECAST DISCUSSION:
Good Monday Evening,
After scattered flurries during the day today, things will be mostly cloudy this evening with temps falling to the middle 20s with a breeze that will remain west to southwest at 10-15mph. Wind chills overnight will fall into the upper teens.
Tuesday expect a rather unremarkable day with mostly cloudy skies and temps around normal in the upper 30s. Things will be fine for the evening commute as well, and ahead of midnight. The biggest issues will come after midnight into Wednesday morning.
As of now, it appears the moisture will work in after about 12-2am in the west and southwest, and initially we could see a band of wet snow to rain moving in. Then as we continue into the overnight as the moisture spreads north into the colder air, we will see more widespread snow south of I-70 by 2-4am. After about 4am, it will become more widespread across our area as moderate to periods of heavy wet snow.
What will be interesting to watch as the low tracks further north, we will see some warmer air starting to pull north on the leading (east) side of this system, and will possibly lead to a brief period of sleet/light mix. By late morning we will start to see the warmer air winning out, and precip type changing to light cold rain showers. Temps on Wednesday will approach the upper 30s, with some readings in the lower 40s to the south.
Snowfall totals with the current forecast track, would put most of our area in the 2"-5" range. The totals will be the lightest to the south, east, & southeast, where between 0-2" of snow will be expected, but possible wintry mix, and more rain. From about US-22 to US-36, including Columbus and much of Central Ohio, we are looking in the 2-4" range for snow, followed by rain showers late morning and afternoon.
In the far northwest, we will generally be more in the 3-5" range, with the 5" totals being furthest west. Not as much rain is expected in this area, even later in the day.
We will continue to track this system very closely, as a shift to a slightly more westerly track, would knock down snowfall numbers as warmer air would wrap in with less moisture. If the track is more easterly, we would end up with less rain & more snow, and higher moisture totals.
Once the systems passes northeast, on the backside we will have scattered light snow showers overnight Wednesday into Thursday, with highs Thursday in the lower 30s. We will continue with a few flurries on Friday with highs in the lower 30s again.
Skies will be mostly cloudy on Saturday, like tomorrow (Tuesday) Saturday will be the in between day of systems with highs again near normal in the upper 30s. Expect our next system to move in overnight Saturday into Sunday. This will initially bring snow showers overnight, changing to rain by Sunday morning as warmer air surges north, and pushes us into the lower 40s.
Behind this system, rinse and repeat, colder and cloudier with highs in the middle 30s on Monday.
-Dave