The National Weather Service has issued a stark heads-up for residents across the Columbus and Cincinnati areas, flagging a wintry mix of precipitation that stands to glaze roads and sidewalks with ice, starting late this afternoon and carrying on through the night. The advisory points to a one-two punch of sleet and freezing rain, heavy at times, especially across the northern regions of Central Ohio. Reported the National Weather Service.
With the weather system sweeping in from the southwest, the onslaught of icy conditions has warranted a winter weather advisory for the northern territories where the mercury stubbornly stays below the freezing mark. "Issued a winter weather advisory across the northern half or so of the forecast area," the NWS advisory specified, highlighting the expected ice accumulations and emerging travel hazards that loom large into Thursday. The southern tier is poised to thaw out earlier, transitioning to plain rain as temperatures climb.
However, the weather turbulence isn't petering out post-thaw. It's a brief respite as Thursday night promises clearer skies before another rollercoaster front barrelling through the Ohio Valley ushers in a possible rain-snow combo by late Friday night. "Another progressive mid level short wave and associated surface low will track east across the Ohio Valley over the weekend," according to the NWS forecast. The prognostications for the weekend are a stark contrast in temperatures, dipping to near 40 in the northwest and soaring to the lower 60s in the southeast.
Aviators are warned of the impending deterioration of flying conditions. "VFR conditions will start out the TAF period," the service noted before cautioning about a southward slide into murkier IFR and LIFR territory as the systems roll in. The unwelcome cocktail of sleet and freezing rain is poised to muddle visibility, grounding expectations for smooth travel through the sky into Thursday. "Winds will pick up on Thursday with some wind gusts around 20 knots at the longer KCVG TAF," according to the National Weather Service, the advisory flagged, signaling choppy conditions that could give both pilots and passengers cause for a bumpy ride.
