Residents across the Columbus and Cincinnati regions are bracing for a bout of mixed precipitation swiftly switching to rain today due to a passing disturbance, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). A potent low-pressure system looms large for this afternoon, set to sweep through tonight into Sunday, promising substantial rainfall that could become torrential at intervals as the system advances.
The early morning forecast indicates that after the initial wave of precipitation dissipates, there's expected to be a brief respite, albeit with consistent rain lingering near the Ohio River. The temperatures across the area are charting a course from the high 30s in west central Ohio to the upper 40s down in northern Kentucky. The National Weather Service also maintains a winter weather advisory for certain regions until 10 AM this morning while initiating a flood watch slated to start from this afternoon through Sunday afternoon for areas including northern Kentucky, southern Ohio, and southeast Indiana.
Progressing into the night, residents should expect the temperatures to ratchet up slightly ahead of the inbound low pressure, thus intensifying the warmth gradient in tandem with a significant flood risk hinging on the 2 to 4 inches of anticipated rainfall, as iterated by the NWS. Later, as the system migrates eastward, a drop in temperature will transmute the rain to snowfall, which could amount to two inches in some localities of west central Ohio, and with brisk winds forecasted to peak at 30 to 40 mph on Sunday, chill factors will hover in the teens.
Post-storm, the NWS outlook into the week portends a cessation of snow flurries by Monday morning. However, residual breeziness could persist, carrying the potential for blowing snow. This primarily aligned with west-central Ohio and eastern Indiana, and I can't rule out slick conditions funneling into Monday's commute. Still, looking further ahead, a high-pressure system will usher in markedly cooler air, which will dip low temperatures into the single digits and teens, with high temperatures straining to break out of the teens to lower 20s.
Another caveat for the already weather-weary will be the approaching snow chances by midweek due to a shortwave trough carving through the area. This event is swelling with uncertainty in terms of accumulation. However, the mere fact that cooler temperatures bolster snow ratios above 10:1 suggests that significant accumulations are not to be discounted despite the wide variances in weather models emphasized by the NWS. The threat of further snow persists as we head into late Wednesday, and turning an attentive eye to trends in the encompassing atmospheric setup could shake confidence towards or away from the more dire snowfall scenarios currently at the edges of predictability.
