Weather Alert Day in effect through Wednesday for Columbus area
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT WEDNESDAY:
This goes into effect at midnight until the early afternoon for most of our area for snow and the wintry mix in the overnight and morning hours.
QUICK WEATHER FORECAST:
- Tonight: Cloudy early, wet snow after midnight, low 28
- Wednesday: Wet snow to mix to rain, high 38
- Thursday: Snow showers, light accumulations, high 34
- Friday: Snow flurries, high 34
- Saturday: Cloudy skies, high 38
FORECAST DISCUSSION:
Good Tuesday Evening,
Cloudy skies will be the rule this evening, with dry conditions through midnight. After midnight the forecast becomes much more challenging. We will watch moisture moving into our area from the west and southwest between 12a-2a, and initially it might have some cold rain showers, but will quickly change over to snow showers in our area.
A few bands of heavy wet snow will develop and move north through central and west-central Ohio between 2a-6a. But as the low continues to move northeast, it is going to bring some warmer, more moist air on the eastern side of this system in our south and southeast counties.
The bulk of the heaviest snow should have dropped before sunrise on Wednesday with a brief period of wintry mix (snow/sleet/rain) around mid-morning, and then changing back to cold rain showers for most of our area as the warmer air will work north. Highs during the afternoon will be in the mid to upper 30s for most of our area, with 40s possible in the southeast.
Snowfall totals will range from the lightest in the southeast where a dusting to upwards of an inch is possible with more rain expected than anything else. As we get north of US-22, we will end up more in the 1-3" range heading up toward the city. As we get closer to I-71, we will be in the 2-4" range, with the highest snowfall totals getting to the west/north of I-71.
As the low moves on Wednesday night, we will get on the backside of it, and more snow showers will return overnight into Thursday. Temps will fall just below freezing Wednesday night with less than an inch of snow expected. We will see possible another inch of snow on a colder Thursday with highs in the middle 30s.
Friday more flurries will be blowing around with highs in the low to mid 30s. We could see another quick shot of light accumulations and breezy conditions Friday night. This will lead to cloudy conditions on Saturday with highs in the upper 30s.
Snow showers will return overnight Saturday night into Sunday with it changing to all rain Sunday with highs around 40. We will be gray and cool next Monday with highs in the lower 30s. Then another system will approach by next Tuesday with highs in the middle 30s, this will bring unsettled weather with a wet mix of light rain and snow possible.
-Dave