936  
FXUS61 KCLE 212141  
AFDCLE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH  
441 PM EST TUE JAN 21 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
A COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING  
BEFORE ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A  
WEAK LOW PRESSURE AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE  
REGION THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY, MOVING ANOTHER COLD FRONT EAST BY  
FRIDAY MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS ON SATURDAY.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/
 
 
THIS AFTERNOON, SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUE TO FALL ALONG AND AHEAD OF A  
COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM NEAR CLEVELAND SOUTHWEST TOWARDS MARION  
OH. A TROUGH ALOFT WITH AN AREA OF INCREASED VORTICITY IS ENHANCING  
LIFT ALOFT AS INCREASED OMEGA LIFT AND FRONTOGENETIC FORCING ARE AT  
WORK NEAR THE SURFACE. IN ADDITION, AHEAD OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY A  
LLJ OF 20-25 KNOTS ACROSS THE EASTERN CWA IS ENHANCING LIFT AND  
MIXING DOWN TO THE SURFACE TO RESULT IN GUSTY WIND UP OF 20-25 MPH.  
GIVEN THIS ATMOSPHERIC SET-UP, THE SNOW SQUALL PARAMETER IN THE SPC  
MESOANALYSIS INCREASES EAST OF I71 THIS EVENING. SO FAR THIS IS  
PRIMARILY LEADING TO LOCALLY HEAVY BURST OF SNOWFALL WITH  
VISIBILITIES DROPPING AS LOW AS 1SM. THIS MAY POSE ADDITIONAL  
HAZARDS DURING THE EVENING RUSH HOUR, BUT GIVEN THE SCATTERED NATURE  
OF THE MORE INTENSE SNOW SHOWERS, NOT EXPECTING ANY WIDESPREAD  
IMPACTS. SNOWFALL TOTALS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW 0.5", HOWEVER  
GIVEN GUSTY WINDS THROUGH SUNSET, SOME OF THIS LIGHT, FLUFFY SNOW  
MAY BLOW AROUND.  
 
AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AXIS AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT PUSH EAST  
OF THE AREA BY LATE EVENING, AN ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL PUSH EAST  
OVER THE AREA ENDING ALL PRECIPITATION. THE EXCEPTION TO THIS WILL  
BE ACROSS NORTHERN ERIE COUNTY PA WHERE LINGERING LAKE EFFECT SNOW  
POTENTIAL WILL PERSIST INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. AN ADDITIONAL 1-3" IS  
POSSIBLE ACROSS THIS AREA. A MORE NOTABLE IMPACT WITH THIS HIGH  
PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BE THE PLUMMETING TEMPERATURES THIS EVENING  
THROUGH TONIGHT. ARCTIC TEMPERATURES WILL SURGE ACROSS THE AREA  
WHICH WILL BE ENHANCED BY RADIATIONAL COOLING DUE TO LACK OF CLOUD  
COVER. OVERNIGHT LOWS ARE FORECAST TO DROP INTO THE -5 TO -15F RANGE  
WITH WIND CHILL VALUES AS LOW AS -27F EXPECTED. THESE TEMPERATURES  
AND WIND CHILL VALUES WILL BE DANGEROUSLY COLD, LEADING TO QUICK  
ONSET OF FROSTBITE ON EXPOSED SKIN AND AN INCREASED POTENTIAL OF  
BURST PIPES. TONIGHT WILL MARK ALMOST 3 DAYS WITH TEMPERATURES BELOW  
20F, WHICH INCREASES THE RISK OF ADDITIONAL DAMAGE TO INFRASTRUCTURE  
ACROSS THE AREA. TO HIGHLIGHT THESE POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND THE  
EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES, AN EXTREME COLD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED  
FROM 7PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 10AM WEDNESDAY. THESE SUB-20F  
TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH HIGHS ON  
WEDNESDAY CLIMBING TO 10-15F WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS FALLING BACK INTO  
THE SINGLE DIGITS FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. WIND CHILL VALUES THROUGH  
THIS PERIOD WILL REMAIN SUB-ZERO.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/
 
 
WHILE A BROAD TROUGH WILL EXTEND SOUTH TO TEXAS AND THE GULF COAST  
HEADING INTO THURSDAY, A SECONDARY TROUGH MOVING THROUGH THE  
NORTHERN STREAM WILL CROSS THE GREAT LAKES. AT THE SURFACE WEAK LOW  
PRESSURE WILL CROSS LAKE HURON AND MOVE TOWARDS LAKE ONTARIO WITH  
SOUTHERLY FLOW AND WARM ADVECTION OVERHEAD ON THURSDAY. HIGH  
TEMPERATURES RECOVER BACK INTO THE 20S WITH SOUTHWEST WINDS OF  
10-15 MPH. WHILE THE AIRMASS WILL BE VERY DRY TO START THE DAY  
ON THURSDAY, ISENTROPIC ASCENT ON THE WARM SIDE OF THE SYSTEM  
WILL ALLOW FOR A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS SPREADING WEST TO EAST  
THROUGHOUT THE DAY. DEEPER MOISTURE FIELDS GENERALLY ONLY ALIGN  
WITH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FIELDS FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH MID  
AFTERNOON BEFORE UPPER LEVELS DRY OUT SO POPS ARE RELATIVELY LOW.  
LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE LOOKS TO CONTINUE DOWNWIND OF LAKE ERIE  
INTO THURSDAY EVENING AND HAVE SCATTERED SHOWERS CONTINUING.  
LOW LEVEL MOISTURE APPEARS TO DRY OUT AFTER 10 PM SO ANY  
ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIMITED TO THE SHORT DURATION OF GENERALLY  
ONLY AN INCH OR TWO OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN IN NW PENNSYLVANIA.  
 
RIDGING BUILDS INTO THE OHIO VALLEY ON FRIDAY WITH CONDITIONS DRYING  
OUT. PARTIAL CLEARING IS EXPECTED FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. HIGH  
PRESSURE AND LIGHT WINDS WILL ALLOW FOR CONTINUED COLD ON FRIDAY  
NIGHT WITH ALL BUT NW OHIO DROPPING INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS. NW OHIO  
WILL BE A FEW DEGREES WARMER IN THE LOWER TEENS WHERE WINDS WILL  
MAINTAIN BETTER MIXING IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS QUITE BROAD TO START THE EXTENDED WITH  
ALMOST A QUASI-ZONAL FLOW ALOFT ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES  
WARM TO THE LOW 30S, ENDING THE VERY COLD STRETCH OF SUB FREEZING  
VALUES FOR MOST OF THE AREA. ANOTHER PIECE OF NORTHERN STREAM ENERGY  
CAUSES THE TROUGH TO DEEPEN ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES REGION HEADING  
INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. WILL NEED TO MONITOR THE INTERACTION BETWEEN  
THIS TROUGH AND ANY SOUTHERN STREAM ENERGY THAT MAY MOVE THROUGH THE  
OHIO VALLEY AHEAD OF IT. TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO DIP BACK INTO  
THE 20S WITH SCATTERED LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS. ICE COVERAGE ON  
LAKE ERIE WILL BE HIGHER BY THAT TIME WHICH MAY EFFECT MOISTURE FLUX  
COMING OFF THE LAKE.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM NEAR CLEVELAND SOUTHWEST TO NEAR  
FINDLAY WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST THIS AFTERNOON. ALONG AND  
AHEAD OF THIS BOUNDARY, SNOW SHOWERS WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD  
WITH VISIBILITIES AS LOW AS 1SM BRIEFLY POSSIBLE. THESE SNOW  
SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO PRIMARILY IMPACT TERMINALS ALONG AND  
EAST OF I71 THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE LAKE EFFECT SNOW LINGERS  
OVERNIGHT FOR KERI. IN ADDITION, AHEAD OF THE BOUNDARY, EXPECT  
MVFR CEILINGS OF 2-3KFT BEFORE CEILINGS LIFT BEHIND IT AND  
EVENTUALLY BECOME CLEAR OVERNIGHT. BY WEDNESDAY MORNING, ALL  
TERMINALS SHOULD REBOUND TO VFR CONDITIONS AND PERSIST THROUGH  
THE END OF THIS TAF PERIOD.  
 
WINDS THIS AFTERNOON WILL REMAIN OUT OF THE W-SW AT 12-15 KNOTS  
WITH GUSTS UP TO 20-25 KNOTS FOR ALL TERMINALS. THESE WINDS WILL  
WEAKEN NEAR SUNSET TO 5-10 KNOTS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF KERI  
WHICH IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN ELEVATED WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 KNOTS  
OVERNIGHT. BY LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING, S-SW WINDS RAMP UP AGAIN  
TO BE 12-15 KNOTS FOR TERMINALS ALONG AND WEST OF I71 WITH GUSTS  
UP TO 25 KNOTS POSSIBLE. FOR TERMINALS EAST OF THIS AREA,  
INCLUDING KCAK AND KYNG, EXPECT S WINDS OF 10-12 KNOTS. AT KERI,  
LOCAL ENHANCEMENT DUE TO DOWNSLOPING IS POSSIBLE ON WEDNESDAY.  
 
OUTLOOK...MAINLY VFR EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY.  
NON-VFR POSSIBLE IN SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS THURSDAY AFTERNOON.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
WEST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 KNOTS WILL CONTINUE ON LAKE ERIE TONIGHT,  
BECOMING SOUTHWESTERLY AT 15 TO 25 KNOTS ON WEDNESDAY. LAKE  
ERIE IS MOSTLY ICE COVERED WEST OF AVON WHILE A LOT OF OPEN  
WATER REMAINS EAST OF THERE. A HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING  
REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH 4 AM DUE TO THE HIGHER WAVES AND  
ARCTIC COLD OVER THE REGION. IN ADDITION, AN ICE ADVISORY HAS  
BEEN ISSUED FOR THE CENTRAL BASIN OF LAKE ERIE OFF OF CUYAHOGA  
AND LAKE COUNTIES WHERE RAPID ICE GROWTH IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT.  
THIS REGION WAS SELECTED DUE TO THE WATER TEMPERATURES BEING  
NEAR 1C OR LESS WHILE WATER TEMPERATURES ARE ANALYZED TO BE  
SLIGHTLY WARMER EAST OF THIS AREA. TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO  
DROP INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS OVERNIGHT OFF OF CLEVELAND AND THIS  
MAY SUPPORT RAPID EXPANSION OF THE ICE INTO THIS AREA. VESSELS  
SHOULD TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO AVOID ENCLOSURE IN THE ICE.  
 
A TROUGH WILL CROSS LAKE ERIE ON THURSDAY WITH WINDS SHIFTING TO  
WESTERLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WINDS BACK TO  
SOUTHWESTERLY AGAIN FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY WITH ANOTHER WEAK TROUGH  
CROSSING LAKE ERIE ON SUNDAY.  
 

 
   
CLIMATE
 
 
ARCTIC AIR PERSISTS THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES  
ARE EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH  
FORECAST TEMPERATURES APPROACHING RECORD LOWS FOR 1/22. BELOW  
ARE THE CURRENT RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES FOR 1/21-22.  
 
DATE TOLEDO MANSFIELD CLEVELAND AKRON YOUNGSTOWN ERIE  
01-21 -20(1984) -19(1985) -17(1985) -24(1985) -20(1985) -16(1985)  
01-22 -12(1936) -10(1936) -10(1936) -13(1936) -9(2022) -7(1970)  
 

 
   
CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
OH...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR OHZ003-  
006>014-017>023-027>033-036>038-047-089.  
EXTREME COLD WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM EST  
WEDNESDAY FOR OHZ003-006>014-017>023-027>033-036>038-047-  
089.  
PA...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR  
PAZ001>003.  
EXTREME COLD WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM EST  
WEDNESDAY FOR PAZ001>003.  
MARINE...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING UNTIL 4 AM EST WEDNESDAY FOR  
LEZ166>169.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...CAMPBELL  
NEAR TERM...CAMPBELL  
SHORT TERM...KEC  
LONG TERM...KEC  
AVIATION...CAMPBELL  
MARINE...KEC  
CLIMATE...  
 
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