632  
FXUS61 KCLE 161804  
AFDCLE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH  
204 PM EDT WED JUL 16 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
A WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING. A COLD  
FRONT WILL SLOWLY APPROACH FROM THE WEST LATE WEDNESDAY BEFORE  
MOVING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA ON THURSDAY. THE FRONT WILL  
LINGER ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE  
GREAT LAKES ON FRIDAY, THOUGH THIS FRONT IS EXPECTED TO LIFT  
BACK NORTH THIS WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
RELATIVELY ZONAL FLOW IS EXPECTED ALOFT, THOUGH A FEW DIFFERENT  
SHORTWAVES WILL IMPACT THE REGION. FIRST ONE IS OBSERVABLE ON  
WATER VAPOR SATELLITE, LOCATED OVER THE THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY.  
WHILE COMPACT, SUBSTANTIAL MOISTURE WILL ACCOMPANY THIS  
SHORTWAVE TROUGH, WITH DEW POINTS IN THE LOW TO MID 70S AND  
PWATS EXCEEDING 2" (WHICH EXCEEDS THE TYPICAL CLIMATOLOGICAL  
DAILY MAX FOR OUR REGION). AS THIS SHORTWAVE LIFTS NORTHEAST ACROSS  
OUR REGION, CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WILL ALSO INCREASE AND SPREAD  
NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE AREA. WE ARE ALREADY STARTING TO SEE  
SOME SHOWERS DEVELOPING ALONG THE I-75 CORRIDOR, WHICH IS A  
COUPLE HOURS EARLIER THAN EXPECTED. COVERAGE WILL INCREASE TO  
AREAWIDE/NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS MORNING,  
CONTINUING THROUGH THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON/EVENING. RAIN RATES  
WILL BE MAXIMIZED DURING THE AFTERNOON WHEN SKINNY INSTABILITY  
OF AROUND 1000-1500 J/KG MUCAPE IS EXPECTED. VERY HIGH MOISTURE  
CONTENT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO WARM RAIN PROCESSES AND VERY HEAVY  
RAINFALL WITHIN THUNDERSTORMS, WHICH MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLASH  
FLOODING, ESPECIALLY FOR LOW-LYING AND URBANIZED AREAS. THE  
LATEST HREF SHOWS A STRONG SIGNAL FOR LOCALIZED QPF AMOUNTS  
EXCEEDING 3", WITH THE PROBABILITY OF >3" WITHIN 25 MI OF A  
GIVEN LOCATION IN THE 10-20% FOR MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA.  
 
THE SLIGHT RISK FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WAS MAINTAINED FOR THE  
SAME AREA TODAY. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH WAS CONSIDERED BUT HELD OFF  
DUE TO THE DISORGANIZED NATURE OF CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON AS  
WELL AS SPREAD IN MODEL GUIDANCE (UNABLE TO REALLY PINPOINT  
SPECIFIC AREAS OF GREATEST FLASH FLOOD RISK). WILL MONITOR  
TRENDS THROUGH THIS MORNING TO SEE IF A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS  
NEEDED FOR A MORE TARGETED AREA.  
 
AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, LOCALIZED GUSTY WINDS WITH MICROBURSTS  
WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS THIS  
AFTERNOON/EVENING, LARGELY DUE PRECIP LOADING FROM HEAVY  
RAIN/HIGH PWATS. LATEST HREF CONTINUES TO SHOW SOME UPDRAFT  
HELICITY TRACKS, THOUGH THIS IS MOSTLY DRIVEN BY THE FV3, WHICH  
IS BIASED TOWARDS OVERPRODUCING CONVECTION.  
 
THE OTHER SHORTWAVE IS CURRENTLY LOCATED OVER THE MIDWEST  
REGION (SD/NE/IA/MN AREA) AND WILL PROGRESS EASTWARD INTO THE  
GREAT LAKES REGION LATER TONIGHT. AT THE SURFACE, DEEPENING LOW  
PRESSURE (1008MB -> 1004MB) WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE GREAT  
LAKES TONIGHT TO THE SOUTHERN ONTARIO/QUEBEC BORDER BY THURSDAY,  
WITH A COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTHWEST FROM THE LOW MOVING  
SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA ON THURSDAY. MOST MODEL GUIDANCE,  
ESPECIALLY THE LATEST CAMS, HAVE REALLY BACKED OFF THE HIGH POPS ON  
THURSDAY THAT PREVIOUS FORECASTS HAD AND THAT THE CURRENT NBM  
STILL HAS. INSTEAD, IT LOOKS LIKE CONVECTION WILL, AT MOST, BE  
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED DUE TO MOST CONVECTION INITIATING NEAR A  
PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH TO OUR SOUTH. REDUCED POPS BY ABOUT 20-30% TO  
A MAX OF 40-60%, WITH FURTHER REDUCTIONS EXPECTED IF THIS TREND  
CONTINUES.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/
 
 
POST-FRONTAL TEMPERATURES WILL BE MUCH COOLER AS HIGH PRESSURE  
BUILDS INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH  
FRIDAY NIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL BE PLEASANT WITH LOW IN THE 60S  
AND FRIDAY HIGHS IN THE UPPER 70S. THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO  
LINGER ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY, MAINLY TO OUR SOUTH THROUGH  
FRIDAY NIGHT. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP  
ALONG THIS BOUNDARY, WITH A FEW OF THESE POSSIBLY MOVING INTO  
OUR SOUTHERN FORECAST AREA. HAVE MAINTAINED A 20-30% POP ACROSS  
PARTS OF CENTRAL OHIO FOR THIS ON FRIDAY.  
 
THE AFOREMENTIONED FRONT IS EXPECTED TO WAVER NORTH AND SOUTH  
ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY THROUGH THE WEEKEND, WITH INCREASING POPS  
THROUGH THE WEEKEND (GENERALLY 40-60% RANGE). HUMIDITY WILL  
WAVER AS WELL, WITH EXTREME HUMIDITY LOCATED SO OF THIS  
BOUNDARY. HEAVY RAIN AND THE RISK FOR LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING  
WILL ACCOMPANY THUNDERSTORMS THIS WEEKEND, ESPECIALLY FOR THE  
SOUTHERN HALF OF OUR FORECAST AREA. WPC ALREADY HAS A SLIGHT  
RISK FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF OUR  
FORECAST AREA, WHICH IS NOTABLE.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
BROAD LOW POPS IN THE 20-30% RANGE REMAIN IN THE FORECAST  
THROUGH THE LONG TERM PERIOD AS THE FRONT CONTINUES TO WAVER.  
UNCERTAINTY IN FRONTAL PLACEMENT LEADS TO LOW CONFIDENCE AND  
REASONING FOR LOW POPS AT THIS TIME. TEMPERATURES/HUMIDITY IS  
EXPECTED TO RELATIVELY CLOSE TO NORMAL. THE FRONT IS GENERALLY  
EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTHWARD AWAY FROM THE AREA ON  
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY WITH RISING TEMPERATURES/HUMIDITY EXPECTED.  
HEAT INDICES WILL BE ON THE RISE, ALTHOUGH THIS WILL BE MORE OF  
A CONCERN FOR WEDNESDAY WHEN HEAT INDICES EXCEEDING 100 DEGREES  
MAY BE POSSIBLE.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
SHRA AND TSRA WILL IMPACT MOST TERMINALS DURING THE FIRST SIX  
HOURS OF THE PERIOD, AS A SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY NEAR KDAY MOVES  
NORTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE EVENING. TSRA ACTIVITY  
IS MOSTLY UNORGANIZED, BUT THE BEST CHANCES FOR PROLONGED TSRA  
ACTIVITY WILL BE KYNG, KCAK, AND POSSIBLY KCLE, WITH IFR VIS  
RESTRICTIONS AND GUSTS TO 30 KTS POSSIBLE WITH ANY TSRA. TSRA  
ACTIVITY WILL DIMINISH DIURNALLY NEAR/AFTER 00Z.  
 
ANOTHER WAVE AND SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE EAST THROUGH THE GREAT  
LAKES TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY PUSHING A COLD FRONT SOUTHEAST  
TOWARDS THE AREA. SOME MVFR CEILINGS POSSIBLE WHERE CLOUD COVER  
PERSISTS OVERNIGHT, WITH MIXING/LIFTING OF ANY CEILINGS AFTER  
12Z WITH DIURNAL MIXING. WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE SOUTH/SOUTHWEST  
THROUGH THE PERIOD, INCREASING AND BECOMING WESTERLY THURSDAY  
AS THE COLD FRONT NEARS THE AREA. SOME GUST TO 20-25 KTS  
POSSIBLE DURING THE DAY THURSDAY.  
 
OUTLOOK...NON-VFR POSSIBLE IN LINGERING SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE AREA  
THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. VFR EXPECTED FRIDAY BEFORE NON-  
VFR CHANCES RETURN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY IN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
LAKE ERIE WILL BE QUIET FOR TODAY AHEAD OF A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM  
AND COLD FRONT WITH WINDS MAINLY OUT OF THE SOUTH AT 5-10 KNOTS.  
CONFIDENCE CONTINUES TO INCREASE FOR WINDS OF GREATER THAN 20  
KNOTS ACROSS MUCH OF LAKE STARTING EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. A  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL PROBABLY BE NEEDED STARTING AROUND  
11Z THURSDAY MORNING FOR THE ENTIRE LAKE ERIE NEARSHORE. WINDS  
SHOULD SUBSIDE FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE LAKE THROUGHOUT THE  
DAY AND FALL BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA BY 21Z. WAVES WILL BE  
BUILDING ALONG WITH THE INCREASED WINDS AND COULD SEE HEIGHTS  
AROUND 5-8 FEET, MAINLY FOR THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN BASINS.  
WAVES WILL BE SLOWER TO SUBSIDE AND ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE  
BELOW 3 FEET BY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE  
ANOTHER CONCERN OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AS A FEW ROUNDS ARE  
EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE LAKE STARTING THIS MORNING. THERE WILL  
BE INCREASED WAVES AND POTENTIAL FOR GUSTY WINDS WITHIN THESE  
STORMS.  
 
THERE WILL BE CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND WITH POTENTIAL FOR GUSTY WINDS AND INCREASED WAVES.  
OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORMS, WINDS WILL BE LESS THAN 10 KNOTS OR  
LESS THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
OH...NONE.  
PA...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...SAUNDERS  
NEAR TERM...SAUNDERS  
SHORT TERM...SAUNDERS  
LONG TERM...SAUNDERS  
AVIATION...03  
MARINE...23  
 
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