The weather outlook for Columbus, Cincinnati, and surrounding areas is setting up for a chilly and potentially damp experience, with an upper-level disturbance moving in through midweek. According to the National Weather Service, this system is bringing a mixture of scattered showers across the Ohio Valley starting Monday and continuing into Tuesday, with temperatures taking a notable dip and struggling to leave the 50s.
In a forecast that suggests grabbing your coats and umbrellas before stepping out, Monday morning, started with increasing cloud cover and windy conditions that were expected to settle as the day continued. "Scattered showers are also possible along and north of I-70," the National Weather Service commentary remarked, hinting at the inclement weather pattern being ushered in by the lowering temperatures. During the afternoon, the first shortwave may offer a brief lull in activity, setting the stage for more isolated showers, before a second disturbance later brings additional convective shower development through the early evening.
Moving into Monday evening and overnight, the area witnesses another wave persisting with showers that could last into Tuesday morning. According to the National Weather Service, "Many locations have temperatures only climbing into the upper 40s to perhaps the lower 50s," the service highlighted how the cold air advection keeps a tight grip over the region's weather landscape. Moreover, the unsettled nature of this period may include thunder in the more intense showers, mainly south of I-70, where some soft hail or graupel could also appear amidst deeper updrafts.
Gazing further afield into the week, the weather narrative shifts as Tuesday night approaches – the beginning of a clear-up act keen to wipe the dreary slate clean. "Skies should clear out for much of the forecast area," reported the National Weather Service, suggesting we may be ready, with calm winds leading to potential widespread frost, especially in the areas sheltered from the wind. In a pattern that watches for frost and freezing temperatures, daytime highs will hover in the fantastic range of the 50s, only warming to the upper 50s by Thursday as sunny conditions take the stage.
As the weekend peeks over the meteorological horizon, the Ohio Valley's residence under a mid-level ridge invites a dry and warming trend. "It will continue to warm with highs in the upper 60s to the lower 70s and lows in the upper 30s to the lower 40s," forecasts the National Weather Service, seeming to signal that this about of excellent showers and thunder shall pass, leaving a door ajar for a warmer respite heading into the weekend.