651  
FXUS61 KCLE 181134  
AFDCLE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH  
634 AM EST TUE FEB 18 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE PERSISTS THROUGH MIDWEEK. AN UPPER LEVEL  
LOW PASSES THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY BEFORE  
HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS THROUGH THE WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
SCATTERED AND LIGHT LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS DOWNWIND OF LAKE ERIE  
WILL DISSIPATE THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS TODAY AS DRY AIR  
CONTINUES TO BUILD INTO THE REGION FROM THE WEST. DRY  
CONDITIONS PERSIST THROUGH TODAY AS HIGH PRESSURE INFLUENCES  
THE REGION. A TROUGH ALOFT SLOWLY APPROACHES THE EASTERN GREAT  
LAKES FROM THE WEST ON WEDNESDAY, ALLOWING FOR INCREASED CLOUD  
COVER AREAWIDE. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE PASSING WELL TO THE SOUTH  
OF THE REGION, IN ADDITION TO THE UPPER TROUGH REMAINING WEST OF  
THE AREA, WILL KEEP SNOW SHOWERS OUT OF THE FORECAST AREA  
THROUGH THE DAY WEDNESDAY.  
 
COLD WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM THIS MORNING  
ACROSS NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA WHERE WIND CHILL VALUES EARLY THIS  
MORNING WILL DROP INTO THE -15 TO -20 F RANGE. REMAINING BRISK  
ELSEWHERE AS WIND CHILL VALUES EARLY THIS MORNING WILL BE  
HOVERING AROUND -10 F. HIGH TEMPERATURES RISE TO THE 10 TO 15 F  
RANGE THIS AFTERNOON, THOUGH SUB-ZERO TO SINGLE DIGIT WIND  
CHILLS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TODAY. LOWS TONIGHT DROP INTO THE  
SINGLE DIGITS WITH ANOTHER NIGHT OF SUB-ZERO WIND CHILLS  
EXPECTED, GENERALLY -5 TO -10 F. HIGHS ON WEDNESDAY RISE INTO  
THE UPPER TEENS TO NEAR 20 DEGREES.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/  
 
UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE WILL DIG INTO THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES  
THURSDAY, REINFORCING THE ARCTIC AIRMASS IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION.  
ACCOMPANYING THE UPPER LOW WILL BE A COUPLE OF SURFACE THERMAL  
TROUGHS SWINGING THROUGH NORTH TO SOUTH WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND  
THURSDAY, AS WELL AS A PERSISTENT, SLOW MOVING 925MB THERMAL TROUGH.  
ALL THESE FACTORS RENEW THE LOW/MID LEVEL SATURATION OF THE COLUMN  
AND PROVIDE CONVERGENCE, AND WHILE THE FORCING/LIFT IS  
IMPERFECT, IT WILL NOT TAKE MUCH AT ALL TO GENERATE SCATTERED  
SNOW SHOWERS DURING THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT/THURSDAY PERIOD GIVEN  
THE ARCTIC AIRMASS. EXPECTING THIS COVERAGE TO SLOWLY SHIFT  
EASTWARD IN TIME AND SET UP OVER THE NORTHEASTERN ZONES OF THE  
CWA INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. WHILE THE UPPER LOW WILL BE QUICK TO  
EXIT BY THIS TIME, NOW HAVE THE POSSIBILITY OF A LAKE HURON  
CONNECTION IN THE LOW LEVEL NORTH NORTHWEST FLOW THURSDAY NIGHT.  
HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE MIDWEST STATES, HELD UP BY A COASTAL LOW  
THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT, WILL FINALLY MAKE PROGRESS INTO  
THE OHIO VALLEY FRIDAY, SHUTTING OFF THE LAKE EFFECT FETCH. WITH  
THE SNOW SHOWERS IN THE SHORT TERM, EXPECTING IN THE VICINITY  
OF AN INCH TOTAL THAT WILL LIKELY OCCUR IN A FEW DIFFERENT  
ROUNDS OF COATINGS, ADDING UP. FOR THE LAKE EFFECT ZONES,  
PROBABLY A 1-3 INCH SCENARIO FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH  
LATE FRIDAY MORNING. WILL NEED TO WATCH THIS CLOSELY HOWEVER,  
BECAUSE WITH THE COLDER AIRMASS IN PLACE, SNOW RATIOS WILL BE  
FAIRLY HIGH.  
 
SLOW MODIFICATION OF THE TEMPERATURES FOR THE SHORT TERM PERIOD, BUT  
STILL FEELING THE EFFECTS OF THE ARCTIC AIRMASS, AND WILL SEE MID TO  
UPPER 20S AT BEST IN THE WESTERN ZONES OF THE CWA FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY  
NIGHT WILL STILL HAVE SOME SINGLE DIGIT LOW TEMPERATURES, PRIMARILY  
IN THE EASTERN CWA.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY/  
 
SLOW MODIFICATION OF THE ARCTIC AIRMASS CONTINUES INTO THE WEEKEND  
AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. WILL START SEEING SIGNIFICANT THICKNESS  
INCREASES IN THE MIDDLE CONUS THAT WILL AT LEAST EXERT SOME  
INFLUENCE IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION. 850MB TEMPERATURES NOW INTO THE  
MINUS SINGLE DIGITS, AND A COUPLE OF TROUGH AXES SUNDAY NIGHT  
AND MONDAY NIGHT STILL ABLE TO CLIP THE CWA KEEP ANY DRASTIC WARM  
UPS WELL WEST OF OUR AREA. THAT SAID, SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SHOULD  
BE AT LEAST A COUPLE/FEW DEGREES ABOVE FREEZING.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /12Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/  
 
PRIMARILY VFR ACROSS THE MUCH OF THE REGION WITH PATCHY MVFR IN  
LINGERING LIGHT LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS. LAST OF THE SNOW WILL  
DIMINISH THROUGH THIS MORNING AS HIGH PRESSURE AND DRY AIR  
SETTLE OVERHEAD.  
 
VFR CONDITIONS CONTINUE ACROSS TERMINALS UNDER HIGH PRESSURE  
THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. CLOUD COVER WILL INCREASE FROM SOUTHWEST  
TO NORTHEAST TODAY AS MID LEVEL CLOUDS (~5KFT) ENTERING THIS  
AFTERNOON. CLOUD COVER MAY SCATTER OUT THIS EVENING BEFORE  
OVERCAST VFR CEILINGS RETURN EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.  
 
WESTERLY WINDS BETWEEN 5-10 KNOTS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THIS  
EVENING. WINDS TURN NORTHWESTERLY WHILE DECREASING TO 5-8 KNOTS  
TONIGHT.  
   
OUTLOOK  
NON-VFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH  
THURSDAY NIGHT IN WIDESPREAD SNOW SHOWERS. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS  
IN TO END THE WEEK AND FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
LAKE ERIE REMAINS MAINLY ICE COVERED. COLD SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS TODAY  
10-20KTS EASE TO 5-10KTS TONIGHT. INCREASING PRESSURE GRADIENT  
BETWEEN THE CENTRAL PLAINS REGION HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM AND A  
DEVELOPING SURFACE LOW MOVING UP THE EAST COAST WILL CAUSE WINDS OUT  
OF THE NORTHWEST TO INCREASE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY,  
REACHING 15-20KTS, WEAKENING TO 10-15KTS WHILE BECOMING WESTERLY ON  
FRIDAY.  
 
 
   
CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
OH...NONE.  
PA...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR  
PAZ001>003.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...13  
NEAR TERM...13  
SHORT TERM...26  
LONG TERM...26  
AVIATION...13  
MARINE...26  
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