Residents in Columbus, Cincinnati, and the surrounding regions will be grappling with a one-two punch of weather woes, as forecasted by the National Weather Service (NWS) in Wilmington. In a move suggesting a slight reprieve, the winter weather advisory has been cancelled, but snow showers expected to bring an abrupt decrease in visibility and a fresh smattering of snow are on the agenda for today.
The NWS elaborates that the presence of a secondary cold front sweeping across the area by early afternoon will trigger a bout of snow showers, albeit widespread accumulations aren't anticipated, these flurries could create hazardous driving conditions with unexpected drops in visibility and rapid coatings of snow on roads, says the NWS in a discussion bulletin. "Have general accumulations of an inch or less” and an increased probability of precipitation and snowfall over what the National Blend of Models solution suggests, the forecast details.
Bitter cold is complicating matters further as a "prolonged period of bitterly cold temperatures and wind chills," according to NWS, slated to hit the region hard from Saturday night all through to Wednesday morning, with the most piercing cold expected Monday into Tuesday morning. The wind chill effect could see feels-like temperatures dipping to near zero and even subzero markers for parts north of Interstate 70 tonight, exacerbating the risk for frostbite and hypothermia among both humans and animals.
Residents should anticipate a barely noticeable warming on Sunday, yet highs only meandering to the 20s, and "when we factor in some breezy southwest winds, gusting to around 25 MPH at times, those daytime feels like temperatures remain in the single digits all day long," the NWS warns. Come Monday, expect more bone-chilling gusts between 20-30 MPH, maintaining wind chills as low as -5 to -10 degrees along and north of I-70 and hovering around 0 to 5 degrees for areas south, by Monday night into Tuesday morning, the forecast indicates colder weather still by stating lows could be around zero and feels like temperatures between -10 and -15 for areas along north of I-70. The NWS has stressed the importance of preparing for this extended cold snap by securing homes, outfits for transportation, and safety plans for outdoor animals.
The NWS anticipates fluctuating visibility conditions, with potential for IFR, or Instrument Flight Rules, levels in snow showers today, and states, "Due to limited coverage and uncertainty have kept forecast during snow showers in MVFR category." Winds could gust up to 30 knots come Monday, suggesting challenging conditions for aviators as well.
