062  
FXUS61 KCLE 011118  
AFDCLE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH  
718 AM EDT SAT AUG 1 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
THE SEVERE WEATHER AND FLASH FLOODING POTENTIAL FOR SUNDAY CONTINUES  
TO TREND SLIGHTLY MORE FAVORABLE BUT WILL NEED TO SEE HOW THE  
WEATHER TODAY PROGRESSES BEFORE CONSIDERING FLOOD WATCHES.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
1) SEVERAL ROUNDS OF RAIN WITH SOME THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED  
THROUGH SUNDAY. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES WITH SOME  
LIMITED FLASH FLOODING POTENTIAL ON SUNDAY. STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS  
ARE ALSO POSSIBLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON.  
 
2) DAILY, SCATTERED RAIN CHANCES AND NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE  
EXPECTED NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...  
A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHING THE REGION TODAY WILL BE THE  
CULPRIT IN PRODUCING SHOWERS AND STORMS THIS WEEKEND WITH HEAVY  
RAINFALL AND STRONG TO SEVERE STORM POTENTIAL BOTH ON THE TABLE.  
SHOWERS WILL START SCATTERED ON SATURDAY WITH THE MAIN,  
VERTICALLY STACKED SURFACE LOW REMAINING WELL WEST ALONG THE  
MISSISSIPPI RIVER. SOME MID-LEVEL VORTICITY ADVECTION WILL HELP  
SUPPORT SOME OCCASIONAL SHOWERS TODAY AHEAD OF THE LOW BUT  
RAINFALL SHOULD BE RELATIVELY LIGHT TODAY FOR THOSE THAT SEE  
ANYTHING. THE MAIN SHOW WILL START TONIGHT AS THE LOW ADVANCES  
EAST AND ADDITIONAL MOISTURE ENTERS THE REGION. FORECAST  
SOUNDINGS ACROSS NORTHERN OHIO SHOW PW VALUES OVER 2 INCHES  
TONIGHT, WHICH MEANS THAT ANY RAIN THAT DOES OCCUR WILL BE  
HEAVY, EFFICIENT RAIN. ANY RAIN THAT DEVELOPS WILL BE MOVING  
SOUTH TO NORTH WITH SOME SPEED BUT IF RECURRING RAIN TRAINS OVER  
THE SAME AREAS, THEN THERE WILL BE FLOODING CONCERNS TONIGHT,  
MAINLY IN NORTHWEST OHIO.  
 
THE TRENDS FOR SUNDAY FOR HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG TO SEVERE  
STORMS IS GOING UP WITH THIS FORECAST PACKAGE. THE LOW WILL PASS  
TO THE SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA ON SUNDAY. HOWEVER, A  
DEFORMATION BAND OF PRECIPITATION WILL BE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF  
THIS LOW, WHICH WILL BE WELL SUPPORTED BY THE LEFT EXIT REGION  
OF ONE UPPER LEVEL JET AND THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF ANOTHER  
UPPER LEVEL JET. THIS BROADER SUPPORT SHOULD ALLOW FOR  
WIDESPREAD COVERAGE OF RAIN ACROSS THE REGION ON SUNDAY WITH  
EFFICIENT RAINFALL RATES AND HAVE A HIGHER QPF FORECAST TO  
REFLECT THESE CONCERNS. IT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISING FOR MOST  
FOLKS TO GET AT LEAST ONE INCH OF RAIN THIS WEEKEND BUT  
RECURRING RAIN EPISODES FOR ANY LOCATION WOULD OPEN UP THE  
POTENTIAL FOR MULTIPLE INCHES OF RAIN AND AN INCREASED RISK FOR  
FLASH FLOODING. ON THE SEVERE THREAT, THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM  
AND UPPER LEVEL JET SUPPORT ARE INDICATIVE OF A DECENTLY SHEARED  
ENVIRONMENT THAT COULD ALLOW FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS TO  
DEVELOP. THE MAIN CONCERN FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE THE  
INSTABILITY. RAIN AND CLOUDS ACROSS THE REGION MAY LIMIT THE  
OVERALL INSTABILITY IN THE REGION AND IN TURN THE SEVERE  
POTENTIAL. HOWEVER, THERE ARE HINTS THAT THERE COULD BE A BREAK  
IN SHOWER ACTIVITY ON SUNDAY MORNING, ESPECIALLY FOR THE EASTERN  
HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA. IF THIS BREAK DOES MATERIALIZE, THEN  
THE SEVERE POTENTIAL FOR SUNDAY WILL CONTINUE TO TREND UPWARD.  
THE MAIN STORM CONCERNS FOR SUNDAY WILL BE STRONG TO DAMAGING  
WIND GUSTS AND EVEN A LOW END CONCERN FOR A TORNADO.  
 
AS OF THIS MORNING, THE AREA IS DELINEATED IN A WPC SLIGHT RISK  
FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL FOR TODAY AND SUNDAY AND AN SPC MARGINAL  
RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER FOR SUNDAY. THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR A  
FLOOD WATCH TO BE NEEDED ACROSS THE AREA, DEPENDING ON HOW THE  
RAIN EVOLVES TODAY/TONIGHT.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2...  
THE UPPER TROUGH THAT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION THIS WEEKEND  
WILL AMPLIFY SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY AND EVENTUALLY FORM AN  
UPPER LEVEL CUT OFF LOW OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. THIS FEATURE  
WILL MEANDER OVER THE OHIO VALLEY NEXT WEEK AND HAVE ENOUGH LIFT  
TO ALLOW FOR DAILY RAIN CHANCES ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. THIS LOW  
WILL GET ABSORBED BY AN UPPER TROUGH ENTERING THE REGION ON  
WEDNESDAY. THIS UPPER TROUGH WILL SUPPORT A SURFACE TROUGH  
ACROSS THE REGION, WHICH SHOULD ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL RAIN  
CHANCES ON WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, AND FRIDAY. NONE OF THE DAYS  
NEXT WEEK WILL BE A WASHOUT, BUT THERE WILL BE SCATTERED RAIN ON  
THE SCOPE THAT COULD ALLOW FOR A BRIEF IMPACT. TEMPERATURES  
SHOULD BE NEAR NORMAL IN THE 80S, PERHAPS SLIGHTLY COOLER IF  
THERE IS MORE RAIN/CLOUD ACTIVITY ON A GIVEN DAY.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /12Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
PREDOMINATELY VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST FOR MUCH OF TODAY  
AHEAD OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT ARE FORECAST TO PUSH  
INTO THE AREA BEGINNING THIS AFTERNOON AND PERSISTING INTO  
SUNDAY. WITHIN THESE STORMS THROUGH THIS EVENING, VISIBILITIES  
MAY BE BRIEFLY REDUCED TO MVFR IN THE MOST DEVELOPED STORMS. AS  
THE LOW PRESSURE DRIVING THIS SHIFT IN WEATHER BECOMES MORE  
CENTERED NEAR OHIO, CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY FALL FROM  
VFR TO IFR BY THE END OF THIS PERIOD. THE EXCEPTION MAY BE KERI  
WHICH MAY LINGER IN MVFR. OVERALL, WIDESPREAD VFR CONDITIONS  
ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY DIMINISH TO IFR BY THE END OF THIS  
PERIOD AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES EAST.  
 
SOUTHEAST WINDS TONIGHT OF 5 KNOTS OR LESS WILL GRADUALLY  
INCREASE TODAY TO BE SUSTAINED AT 5-10 KNOTS. LOCAL GUSTS UP TO  
20 KNOTS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS WESTERN TERMINAL THROUGH THIS  
EVENING. NEAR THE END OF THE PERIOD, WINDS WILL GAIN A MORE  
EASTERLY COMPONENT BUT REMAIN 5-10 KNOTS.  
 
OUTLOOK...OCCASIONAL NON-VFR IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS  
TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS WITH POTENTIAL FOR NON-VFR CONTINUE MONDAY THROUGH  
WEDNESDAY, PRIMARILY DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
LOW PRESSURE CENTERED OVER ILLINOIS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST TODAY  
INTO TOMORROW, MOVING JUST SOUTH OF THE LAKE ERIE LAKESHORE WHICH  
WILL KEEP THE ENTIRE BASIN NORTH OF THE CENTER OF THE SYSTEM. GIVEN  
THE POSITIONING OF LAKE ERIE IN RELATION TO THE LOW, WINDS TODAY  
WILL GENERALLY BE FROM THE SOUTHEAST AT 5-10 KNOTS BEFORE GAINING A  
MORE EAST-NORTHEAST COMPONENT TONIGHT. AS WINDS SHIFT TO THIS  
POSITION LATE TODAY INTO TONIGHT THEY WILL ALSO INCREASE TO 10-20  
KNOTS WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS EXPECTED IN THE WESTERN BASIN. THIS  
WILL RESULT IN WAVES BUILDING TO 2-4 FEET BY SUNDAY MORNING. THIS  
PERIOD MAY NEED A VERY BRIEF SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY, BUT GIVEN A BIT  
OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE TIMING OF THE LOW HAVE OPTED TO NOT ISSUE THIS  
MORNING. AS THE CENTER OF THE LOW SHIFTS EAST ON SUNDAY, WINDS WILL  
BECOME MORE NORTH-NORTHEAST AND PERSIST AT 15-20 KNOTS ACROSS THE  
LAKE INTO MONDAY. THIS STRETCH OF ONSHORE FLOW MAY RESULT IN WAVES  
OF 3-5 FEET BUILDING ACROSS THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL BASINS. WITH  
THAT DIRECTION AS WELL, RIP CURRENTS MAY BE A CONCERN ALONG BEACHES  
IN THESE AREAS. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR FUTURE MODEL GUIDANCE TO  
DETERMINE THE NEED FOR ANY MARINE HEADLINES. BY MONDAY, HIGH  
PRESSURE BEGIN TO NUDGE BACK INTO THE AREA, ALLOWING FOR CALM MARINE  
CONDITIONS TO RETURN ACROSS LAKE ERIE.  
 
 
   
CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
OH...NONE.  
PA...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...SEFCOVIC  
AVIATION...04  
MARINE...04  
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab OH Page
The Nexlab PA Page
Main Text Page