376  
FXUS61 KCLE 012041  
AFDCLE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH  
341 PM EST SUN DEC 1 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
A SURFACE TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE AREA THROUGH  
TUESDAY BEFORE A BRIEF RIDGE BUILDS ACROSS THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY  
INTO TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM  
WILL IMPACT THE GREAT LAKES REGION WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH  
THURSDAY BEFORE HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS FRIDAY.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/  
 
THE OVERALL FORECAST HAS NOT CHANGED MUCH FROM THE PREVIOUS  
UPDATE. THE ONLY CHANGE MADE WITH THIS MAIN FORECAST UPDATE IS  
EXTENDING THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING FOR ERIE COUNTY PA  
THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON OR UNTIL 00Z WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE  
EASTERN GREAT LAKES REGION REMAINS IN A LARGE CYCLONIC FLOW AND  
ON THE BACKSIDE OF A LARGE DEEP UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WHICH THE  
AXIS CENTER WAS LOCATED OVER SOUTHEASTERN QUEBEC THIS  
AFTERNOON.  
 
THE MAIN WEATHER STORY AND IMPACTS WILL COME FROM LAKE EFFECT  
SNOW IMPACTING THE PRIMARY AND SOME OF THE SECONDARY SNOWBELT  
AREAS OVER THE NEXT 36 HOURS. THERE HAS BEEN A MAIN LAKE EFFECT  
SNOW BAND THAT HAS SLOWLY DRIFTED SOUTHWARD FROM FAR NEOH DOWN  
CLOSER TO THE CLEVELAND METRO AREA. AS OF 315 PM EST, THE MAIN  
SNOW BAND IS HITTING LAKE COUNTY INTO NORTHERN GEAUGA VERY HARD.  
THIS BAND HAS NOW DRIFTED INTO NORTHERN AND NORTHEASTERN  
CUYAHOGA COUNTY AND THIS TREND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING  
AND OVERNIGHT. THERE IS HIGH CONFIDENCE AMONGST THE HIGH-RES  
FORECAST GUIDANCE THAT IS MAIN BAND WILL POSITION ITSELF FROM  
WEST TO EAST ACROSS NORTHERN CUYAHOGA, LAKE, AND GEAUGA COUNTIES  
FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT INTO MONDAY. THERE IS HINTS OF A WEAKER  
SECONDARY LAKE EFFECT SNOW BAND TRYING TO FORM OFFSHORE OF  
ASHTABULA AND ERIE PA THIS AFTERNOON WHICH MAY BECOME BETTER  
ORGANIZED TONIGHT INTO MONDAY.  
 
THE OVERALL MESSAGE IS ADDITIONAL HEAVY SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED IN  
THE SNOWBELT AREA ALREADY HARDEST IT AND NORTHERN AND EASTERN  
CUYAHOGA COUNTY WILL BE SEEING HEAVY SNOWFALL TONIGHT THROUGH  
MONDAY NIGHT. THERE IS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING THROUGH RIGHT  
NOW THAT IS HELPING TO CHANGE THE LOW LEVEL FLOW TO MORE WEST-  
NORTHWESTERLY. THIS SUBTLE CHANCE IN THE LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL  
HELP KEEP THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW MACHINE GOING THROUGH MONDAY  
NIGHT WITH AREAS FROM THE CLEVELAND AREA TO ERIE PA SEEING HEAVY  
SNOWFALL. THE CURRENT LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNINGS ARE REMAIN ON  
TRACK WITH THE FORECAST SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. BE SURE TO SEE THE  
LATEST WSW TEXT PRODUCT AND THE DETAIL INFORMATION IN THE LAKE  
EFFECT SNOW WARNING FOR SPECIFIC SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AND  
EXPECTATIONS.  
 
ELSEWHERE OUTSIDE THE SNOWBELT REGION, THE WEATHER WILL BE  
RELATIVELY QUIET BUT COLD. THERE WILL BE VARIABLE CLOUDINESS  
THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. THERE MAY BE SOME PASSING  
SNOW FLURRIES OR VERY LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS FROM TIME TO TIME BUT  
NO SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS OR IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED. HIGH TEMPS  
DURING THE DAY WILL BE IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOW 30S. OVERNIGHT  
TEMPS WILL BE IN THE UPPER TEENS TO LOW 20S.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/  
 
ACTIVE WEATHER WILL PERSIST FOR THE SHORT TERM PERIOD AS LAKE EFFECT  
SNOW LINGERS ACROSS THE SNOWBELT ON TUESDAY, FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER  
STRONG SYSTEM WEDNESDAY NIGHT. ONLY HEADLINE UPDATES WITH THIS  
PACKAGE WERE TO EXTEND THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING FOR ERIE COUNTY  
THROUGH 7 PM TUESDAY.  
 
A RIDGE WILL BEGIN TO BUILD EAST ACROSS THE MIDWEST ON TUESDAY,  
THOUGH STUBBORN LAKE AGGREGATE TROUGHING UNDERNEATH A COLD AIR MASS  
AND PRIMARILY NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL RESULT IN CONTINUED LAKE  
EFFECT SNOW ACROSS THE SNOWBELT. THE MOST PERSISTENT AND HEAVIEST  
SNOW WILL LIKELY BE FOUND ACROSS ERIE COUNTY, PA, AIDED BY AN  
UPSTREAM LAKE HURON MOISTURE CONNECTION AND THUS HAVE EXTENDED THE  
CURRENT LAKE EFFECT WARNING THROUGH 7 PM TUESDAY. RESIDUAL LAKE  
EFFECT SNOW SHOULD EVENTUALLY LIFT NORTH OUT OVER LAKE ERIE TUESDAY  
NIGHT AS THE RIDGE AXIS BECOMES CENTERED OVERHEAD, SHIFTING FLOW  
TOWARDS THE SOUTHWEST.  
 
BY WEDNESDAY, A STRENGTHENING UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH WILL SWING  
SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES, EXTENDING A STRONG COLD FRONT  
THROUGH THE REGION AND USHERING IN A POTENTIALLY EVEN COLDER AIR  
MASS. WILL NEED TO MONITOR THE LOW-LEVEL WIND FIELD WEDNESDAY  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH SOUTHWEST 925 MB WINDS AROUND 35 TO 40  
KNOTS, LOWER CONFIDENCE IN THAT WIND FIELD TRANSLATING TO SURFACE  
GUSTS EXIST DUE TO THE INITIAL WARM AIR ADVECTION. WIDESPREAD  
PRECIPITATION WILL ARRIVE ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY  
THURSDAY MORNING WITH THIS SYSTEM WITH THE PRIMARY PRECIPITATION  
TYPE BEING SNOW, ALTHOUGH SOME RAIN MAY MIX IN, ESPECIALLY EARLIER  
IN THE EVENING.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
ACTIVE WEATHER AND BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE FOR  
THE LONG TERM PERIOD. STRONG WINDS, LAKE EFFECT SNOW, AND  
SINGLE-DIGIT WIND CHILLS ALL APPEAR POSSIBLE.  
 
THE AFOREMENTIONED COLD FRONT WILL BE SWEEPING SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE  
AREA THURSDAY MORNING, USHERING IN ANOTHER COLD AIR MASS, WITH 850  
MB TEMPERATURES BRIEFLY DIPPING TO AROUND -15 DEGREES C THURSDAY  
AFTERNOON. STRONGER NORTHWEST FLOW WILL ACCOMPANY THIS COLD AIR  
MASS, SO ANTICIPATE THAT BOTH THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SNOWBELTS  
WILL HAVE ACCUMULATING SNOW POTENTIAL. MIXING HEIGHTS ARE EXPECTED  
TO RISE NEAR 850 MB IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONT ON THURSDAY WHICH  
COULD RESULT IN WIND GUSTS OF 35 TO 40 MPH ACROSS THE REGION. AT  
THIS TIME, CONFIDENCE IS LOW (10 TO 30%) FOR WIND GUSTS GREATER THAN  
45 MPH, BUT WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR TRENDS.  
 
LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL LIKELY PERSIST THROUGH FRIDAY, THOUGH WILL  
BEGIN TO LIFT AND/OR SUBSIDE BY FRIDAY NIGHT AS ANOTHER WEAK RIDGE  
AXIS BECOMES CENTERED ACROSS THE OH VALLEY. MODELS ARE SHOWING THE  
POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER CLIPPER-LIKE SYSTEM TO TRAVERSE SOUTHEAST  
THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES ON SATURDAY, THOUGH INITIAL SIGNS SUGGEST IT  
WON'T BE AS STRONG AS THE MID-WEEK SYSTEM.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/  
 
WIDESPREAD VFR CONDITIONS WITH WEST- SOUTHWEST OF 7-12 KNOTS  
WILL PERSIST FOR ALL TERMINALS OUTSIDE OF THE SNOWBELT OF NEOH  
AND NWPA THIS TAF PERIOD. THERE ARE SOME SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW  
SHOWERS MOVING ACROSS NORTHERN OHIO THAT MAY BRIEFLY CAUSE MVFR  
VISIBILITY CONDITIONS BETWEEN 18Z AND 22Z THIS AFTERNOON. WE  
HAVE TEMPO GROUPS TO MENTION THIS POSSIBILITY.  
 
PERIODS OF LOW END MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS ARE VERY POSSIBLE FOR  
KERI AND KCLE AS LAKE EFFECT SNOW IMPACTS THESE TERMINALS.  
THERE MAY LIFR CONDITIONS AT TIMES AT ERI AND CLE UNDERNEATH  
HEAVIER SQUALLS THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. THE HIGHEST  
CONFIDENCE IN VISIBILITIES LESS THAN 1SM IS AT KERI THROUGHOUT  
THE PERIOD. THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL BUT LESS CONFIDENCE AT CLE  
IF THE HEAVIEST SNOW BAND STAYS JUST NORTH OF THAT TERMINAL THIS  
EVENING. GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS UP TO 20 KNOTS MAY CAUSE  
POTENTIAL BLOWING SNOW AT TIMES. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR LAKE  
EFFECT SNOW IMPACTS POTENTIAL FOR CLE DEPENDING ON HOW THE  
SNOWBANDS SETUP TONIGHT. WINDS WILL BE FROM THE WEST 8 TO 12  
KNOTS WITH POSSIBLE GUSTS UP TO 20 KNOTS.  
 
OUTLOOK...NON-VFR LIKELY IN LAKE-EFFECT SNOW BANDS THROUGH  
TUESDAY. THE HEAVIEST AND MOST-PERSISTENT LAKE-EFFECT SNOW IN  
OUR REGION IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE PRIMARY SNOWBELT IN FAR  
NORTHEAST OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
ROUGH MARINE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEK FOR  
MUCH OF LAKE ERIE. FLOW WILL PRIMARILY REMAIN WEST TO NORTHWEST, 15  
TO 25 KNOTS, THROUGH TUESDAY, BEFORE BECOMING SOUTHWEST, 25 TO 30  
KNOTS, ON WEDNESDAY. CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING FOR GALE CONDITIONS  
BEHIND A STRONG COLD WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY AS WINDS SHIFT  
BACK TOWARDS THE NORTHWEST, 30 TO 35 KNOTS. ELEVATED NORTHWEST FLOW  
WILL PERSIST ON FRIDAY, 15 TO 25 KNOTS, WITH ADDITIONAL SMALL CRAFT  
HEADLINES NEEDED FOLLOWING ANY POTENTIAL GALES.  
 
 
   
CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
OH...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING UNTIL 7 AM EST TUESDAY FOR OHZ011>014-  
089.  
PA...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING UNTIL 7 AM EST TUESDAY FOR PAZ003.  
LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING UNTIL 7 PM EST TUESDAY FOR PAZ001-002.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM EST WEDNESDAY FOR LEZ145>149.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...GRIFFIN  
NEAR TERM...GRIFFIN  
SHORT TERM...KAHN  
LONG TERM...KAHN  
AVIATION...GRIFFIN  
MARINE...KAHN  
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