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Published on January 22, 2025
Cleveland Shivers Through Record-Breaking Cold, NWS Issues Extreme Weather WarningsSource: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cleveland just experienced what could be its chilliest encounter in over a decade, as an arctic high-pressure system tucked the region into record low temperatures so biting they commanded an Extreme Cold Warning until 10 AM today. According to the National Weather Service Cleveland, thermometers plunged to sadistic depths ranging from -3 to -15 F earlier today. For those without a furnace for a friend, it was a morning to stay indoors flat-out.

The freeze comes on the heels of a weather pattern that's felt more punitive than playful. Roads and schools were likely to be emptily echoing chambers as cities creaked to a start under the heavy burden of cold. This embattled front isn't just any wanderer from the north—it landed with historic poise, setting a record low at Mansfield and pushing others to the brink. "Wind chill values are solidly in the -15 to -25 F range," the NWS stated in a statement that had residents likely to quickly recalibrate what's worthy of a weather complaint.

Yet, this is a tide that will turn, as the same National Weather Service Cleveland outlook promises a shift. The arctic surface high poised over Ohio will roll its chill to the Mid-Atlantic, and a low-pressure cohort will scoot into the northern Great Lakes. It seems Lake Erie is due for a break, as winds are set to pick up—shifting from the barren northwest to a more laden south-southwest airflow—hopefully depositing that store of cold somewhere else.

Cleveland's climate has been no stranger to the whimsy of winter. The legendary lows of January 22, 1936, have dangled over the record books until now—records surpassed in a frosty feat that will be retold in thermostat lore. The hope for respite is tied roughly to the back of the rebounding temperatures, which look "to reach the low to mid teens today," as per the NWS report. And if you lean in to listen carefully, you might hear a Great Lake sigh in relief, ready to loom less menacingly over its bordering communities. With an Active Northwest mid/upper flow promised, the frost-bitten folk of OH are holding onto the hope for slightly gentler airs in the days to come.

The Mariners are not off the hook yet, though. The marina might be momentarily bereft of the usual hustle as a Heavy Freezing Spray Warning has expired. Still, the Ice Advisory holds fast in its place, hinting at tricky navigations ahead. There's assurance that with the southward-bound high-pressure system, by Saturday, the harsh conditions might alleviate somewhat as moisture clears, concluded the National Weather Service Cleveland in their latest update. Still, as for Clevelanders, the biting air is a story that will take a while to thaw from memory.