Cleveland is settling in for a bout of weather as moody as the lake it sits on, and the National Weather Service out of Cleveland has laid out the nitty-gritty. According to their latest NWS forecast, we've got a trough that's hanging around through Saturday night with rains heading in as a low-pressure system does its northeastward shuffle from the Appalachians to Canadian Maritimes. By Sunday, things are looking up with a ridge expected to build over from the Great Plains.
Today's specifically bringing the kind of chill that tells you winter is knocking, with highs struggling up to the low 50s and overnight lows giving us a shivery preview of what's to come, dipping into the mid-30s to mid-40s. But it's not just about the temps—the weather's throwing everything at us but the kitchen sink, with widespread rain through tonight, courtesy of that pesky warm conveyor belt meeting a jet streak and a dollop of lake-enhancement; and FYI for the lake dwellers, get ready for onshore winds gusting up to 45 mph, especially if you're rocking out in Ottawa County or getting the shore's spray in Erie County, PA.
In aviation news, if you're flying out of Cleveland today, be ready for some IFR to lower-end MVFR conditions. Expect these conditions to persist through the weekend, particularly in Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania, thanks to all those lake effect showers and clouds. And speaking of the lake, boaters might want to give today a miss—gale warnings are in effect with winds up to 40 knots and rough waters with waves hitting a daunting 8 to 13 feet.
As we head into the weekend, our weather narrative doesn't get much cheerier, with cyclonic flow and disturbances keeping us on our toes. But if you can stick it out through the isolated showers and relentless lake effect rain, a silver lining awaits come Sunday night into Monday—a ridge is on the approach, promising to make things a whole lot calmer by midweek. In essence, Cleveland areas, take heart after surviving the additional 0.75" to 2.00" of rainfall expected through tonight - drier days are on the horizon.
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