Let’s take advantage of this beautiful sunshine while we can! Clouds will begin rolling in overnight and we will have showers and thunderstorms most of the day on Friday. Very gusty winds are likely Friday and Saturday with some gusts, potentially, reaching 50 mph or more on Saturday. We’ll see some sunshine again on Sunday. We will remain #WeatherAware on Friday and Saturday!

THURSDAY NIGHT: increasing clouds, showers by sunrise, low 43.
FRIDAY: overcast, showers and thunderstorms, isolated strong storms possible in the afternoon and evening, strong wind gusts, occasional downpours, warmer, high 62.
SATURDAY: scattered showers possible through midday, exceptionally windy, gusts near 50 mph possible, early-morning high near 59 with temperatures falling through the 40s in the afternoon.
SUNDAY: mostly sunny in the morning with clouds increasing during the day, high 54.
MONDAY: mostly cloudy, breezy, chance of scattered rain showers, warm, high 70.
TUESDAY: mainly overcast, breezy, scattered rain showers and a few thunderstorms, high 74.
WEDNESDAY: very windy, overcast, showers and thunderstorms, high 75.
THURSDAY: chance of scattered showers in the morning then clearing in the afternoon, cooler, high 63.

High pressure is providing beautiful, blue sky from Atlanta to Detroit this afternoon. A few clouds are rolling across the Mississippi River. Temperatures across Ohio are in the lower-40s in the north, mid-40s in Central Ohio, and near 50 in Southern Ohio. A beautiful day for some opening-day baseball in Cincinnati! Temperatures will continue to climb during the afternoon, topping out in the mid-50s in Central Ohio.

High pressure slides toward the East Coast later tonight, allowing a warm front to lift into Ohio. By sunrise Friday morning, scattered rain showers will move into the neighborhood. Thunderstorms will be possible, on and off, throughout the day. Occasional downpours may briefly reduce visibilities and cause ponding on the roads. Many parts of Central Ohio could receive a half inch to an inch of rainfall on Friday. The best chance for severe weather will be up and down the Mississippi River Valley from Minnesota to Arkansas. Central Ohio is on the eastern edge of the main risk; isolated strong storms are possible Friday across Central and Western Ohio. The biggest threats will be gusty winds. The chance of tornadoes in our area is very low. However, gusty straight-line winds can still cause damage.

The wind will get even stronger on Saturday as a pair of cold fronts pivots through the state. Scattered rain showers are likely through the morning with some partial clearing in the afternoon. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph will be possible and could cause another round of power outages as more tree limbs come down. High pressure begins to move into the region on Sunday with sunshine for the first half of the day. Unfortunately, our beautiful weather doesn’t last very long. Clouds will begin thickening up again by Sunday afternoon and evening.

The rest of the work week is dominated by a gigantic storm coming from the West Coast. On Monday, the storm will be making its way through the Rockies and still strengthening. At the same time, a separate, fast-moving system in the Upper Great Lakes will drag a cold front through Ohio with a chance for scattered showers. But the big system will emerge from the Rockies Tuesday morning, strengthening quickly, and dragging moisture from the Gulf of Mexico into the Midwest. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will be likely in Ohio Tuesday as a frontal boundary from that system stalls over the state. The storm continues to strengthen as it moves into the Upper Midwest and warm air continues to stream into Ohio with showers and thunderstorms and another round of very gusty winds. Downpours are likely and potential for another round of power outages. By Thursday, the rain begins to move to the east, but breezy conditions will persist.

Marshall McPeek, Chief Meteorologist.