Residents in the Columbus and Cincinnati regions, brace yourselves: the weather is getting a bit unpredictable as we march toward the holidays. A recent forecast from the National Weather Service Wilmington OH, indicates scattered light precipitation could pop up this morning ahead of a weak cold front set to dawdle through the area later this afternoon. If you're pining for sunny skies, you might have to wait it out—a drier airmass and high pressure are promising to show their face tonight into Wednesday before another round of rain checks in for Christmas Eve.
The details, for those who sweat the small stuff: an 850 mb jet is currently lapping at the mid Ohio Valley, but it'll scoot east throughout the morning. "Some weak isentropic mid level lift associated with this is helping to produce scattered light shower activity across our area attm," the NWS explains. The showers should let up with the daybreak, but don't be surprised if some stubborn drizzle sticks around for an encore throughout the morning. As that weak cold front strolls southeast this afternoon, don't bet your last candy cane on sunshine—the clouds are hanging tough. Temperatures will creep up, though, with highs ranging from the lower 50s north to the upper 50s south.
In the short term, surface high pressure will shoulder its way into the region tonight, nudging out some clouds. As this high pressure jet off east on Wednesday, clouds will be back on the upswing ahead of our next guest. The long-term forecast, per the National Weather Service, smells of spring in the tail end of December. "The extended forecast period will be characterized by generally above-normal temperatures and occasional chances for rain," the service tells us. Thursday and Friday could see rain, with some potentially convective bursts, though no hazards are expected right now. Temps should hover in the 50s, shying away from record highs. Saturday is poised to be the warmest day, with the mercury potentially nudging into the upper 60s. A stronger system is rumored to be strutting through the Great Lakes by weekend's end, likely yanking a cold front across the Ohio Valley that will tip us back into chillier digits.
For those taking to the skies, the aviation outlook isn't exactly crystalline. IFR conditions this morning should give way to MVFR into the afternoon, with some clearing tonight—though the exact timing is a toss-up. "MVFR to IFR ceilings and MVFR visibilities likely Wednesday night into Thursday with MVFR ceilings possibly lingering through Saturday," the forecast grimly notes.
