139  
FXUS61 KCLE 181727  
AFDCLE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH  
1227 PM 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/
 
 
1215 PM EST UPDATE...  
LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS/FLURRIES HAVE BEEN STUBBORN TO TAPER OFF SO  
HAVE EXTENDED FLURRIES/SLIGHT CHANCES OF SNOW SHOWERS THROUGH  
THE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATION IS NOT EXPECTED. HAVE ALSO  
INCREASED CLOUD COVER SINCE STRATOCUMULUS HAS DEVELOPED DOWNWIND  
FROM LAKE ERIE WITH ADDITIONAL CLOUDS DOWNWIND FROM LAKE  
MICHIGAN.  
 
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...  
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 /18Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
STRATOCUMULUS HAS DEVELOPED DOWNWIND FROM LAKE ERIE AND EVEN  
LAKE MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON WITH SOME LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS  
DEVELOPING AT NE OH TERMINALS. GENERALLY THINK THAT PREVAILING  
CEILINGS WILL BE VFR THIS AFTERNOON, BUT CEILINGS MAY  
PERIODICALLY DROP TO MVFR (HENCE THE TEMPO GROUPS THROUGH ABOUT  
21Z). MID-LEVEL CLOUDS MAY PERSIST THROUGH TONIGHT, BUT EXPECT  
WIDESPREAD VFR. CEILINGS MAY BEGIN TO LOWER AS EARLY AS 15Z  
WEDNESDAY AS A SHORTWAVE LIFTS INTO THE REGION, BUT CURRENTLY  
THINK THAT ANY NON-VFR CEILINGS WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL AFTER 18Z.  
 
WINDS WILL BE OUT OF THE WEST/NORTHWEST AT 8 TO 14 KNOTS WITH A  
FEW GUSTS TO AROUND 20 KNOTS POSSIBLE AT KERI/KYNG THIS  
AFTERNOON. EXPECT WINDS TO DIMINISH BELOW 10 KNOTS TONIGHT  
THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.  
   
OUTLOOK
 
NON-VFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE IN WIDESPREAD SNOW  
SHOWERS WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY AND IN LAKE EFFECT SNOW  
SHOWERS ACROSS NORTHEAST OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA  
THURSDAY THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY.  
 

 
   
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...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...13  
NEAR TERM...13/15  
SHORT TERM...26  
LONG TERM...26  
AVIATION...15  
MARINE...26  
 
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