220  
FXUS61 KCLE 181818  
AFDCLE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH  
218 PM EDT TUE AUG 18 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
THERE WERE NO CHANGES NEEDED WITH THIS UPDATE.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
1) SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT THROUGH  
WEDNESDAY.  
 
2) AN UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN RETURNS THIS WEEKEND WITH PERIODS OF  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY..  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...  
HIGH PRESSURE TODAY WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT EAST AS A WEAK COLD FRONT  
ASSOCIATED WITH A SHORTWAVE TROUGH APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST  
TONIGHT. LIGHT SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE BEGINNING AROUND MIDNIGHT FOR  
THE TOLEDO AREA AND THEN SPREADING EAST INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE  
BEST SUPPORT FOR SHOWER DEVELOP SHOULD BE ALONG AND NORTH OF US-30  
INITIALLY BEFORE BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD WEDNESDAY  
AFTERNOON/EVENING. THE REMAINS MINIMAL THUNDER POTENTIAL THROUGH  
WEDNESDAY MORNING AS THE AIRMASS REMAINS FAIRLY STABLE, BUT AS  
DIURNAL HEATING INCREASE INTO THE AFTERNOON CHANCES OF THUNDER WILL  
INCREASE. AT THIS POINT, GIVEN THE DISJOINTED TIMING BETWEEN THE  
UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT AND THE SURFACE HEATING, THE SEVERE POTENTIAL  
REMAINS LIMITED. CONDITIONS SHOULD DRY OUT BY THURSDAY MORNING AS  
HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS. HIGHS TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY WILL BE IN THE  
MID 70 TO LOW 80S WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS DROPPING INTO THE UPPER 50S TO  
LOW 60S.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2...  
THE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM IMPACTING THE AREA ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY  
WILL PUSH EAST THIS WEEKEND AS A DEEPENING TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED  
SURFACE LOW ARE EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE AREA. MODELS ARE BECOMING  
MORE CONSISTENT WITH THE COLD FRONT PUSHING EAST LATE SATURDAY WITH  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF IT. THIS WOULD PUT  
SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO  
SUNDAY MORNING. ALTHOUGH EXACT TIMING REMAINS UNCERTAIN, GIVEN THE  
STRONG DYNAMICS INCLUDING A STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET AND VORT MAX,  
WILL LIKELY SEE THUNDERSTORMS AT SOME POINT. IF THE BEST SYNOPTIC  
ENERGY COINCIDES WITH THE BEST DIURNAL HEATING, SOME OF THESE STORMS  
MAY BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE. WILL NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON THIS SYSTEM  
IN THE COMING DAYS TO DETERMINE THE POTENTIAL SEVERE RISK THIS  
WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN CONSISTENT, CLIMBING  
INTO THE UPPER 70S TO LOW 80S FOR HIGHS AND FALLING INTO THE UPPER  
50S TO LOW 60S FOR OVERNIGHT LOWS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE PREVALENT ACROSS THE REGION. THERE ARE SOME  
DIURNAL CLOUDS FORMING A BROKEN CEILING FROM KFDY EASTWARD AT  
AROUND 040-050. THIS WILL PERSIST TO AROUND 00Z WHEN AN UPPER LEVEL  
CEILINGS MOVES INTO THE REGION. WEAKENING SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED LATE  
TONIGHT INTO EARLY TOMORROW MORNING THAT MAY IMPACT TERMINALS,  
THOUGH MAIN IMPACTS WILL BE CEILINGS LOWERING TO AROUND 050. SHOWERS  
SHOULD DISSIPATE BY KCLE AND THE EASTERN TERMINALS WILL REMAIN DRY  
OUTSIDE OF KERI. CEILINGS WILL PROGRESSIVELY DROP THROUGH THE DAY  
TOMORROW DOWN TO MVFR CONDITIONS AND WILL LAST THROUGH THE END OF  
THE TAF PERIOD. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD,  
GENERALLY OUT OF THE NORTHWEST AT AROUND 5 KNOTS THIS EVENING THEN  
SHIFTING TO THE SOUTHWEST AT LESS THAN 5 KNOTS OVERNIGHT. WINDS WILL  
SHIFT BACK OUT OF THE WEST AT 5-10 KNOTS DURING THE DAY TOMORROW  
WITH THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT.  
 
OUTLOOK...NON-VFR POSSIBLE ON WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY WITH  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
LIGHT AND VARIABLE CONDITIONS ARE REPLACED BY SOUTHWEST WINDS AS  
HIGH PRESSURE DEPARTS TO THE SOUTH. AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES  
FROM THE NORTHWEST, SHOULD SEE SOUTHWEST WINDS STRENGTHEN TO  
AROUND 15 KNOTS, WITH SOME LOW POTENTIAL TO BRIEFLY REACH 20  
KNOTS AT TIMES, ESPECIALLY TONIGHT AND INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING.  
WAVES BUILD TO A PEAK OF 2-3 FT IN THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF THE  
CENTRAL AND EASTERN BASIN OF LAKE ERIE WEDNESDAY MORNING. IF WE  
CAN GET 20 KNOTS, THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR 4 FT WAVES DESPITE  
THE WIND DIRECTION BEING NEAR PARALLEL TO THE SHORELINE. WILL  
HAVE TO MONITOR THIS PERIOD FOR SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY AND BEACH  
HAZARD STATEMENTS.  
 
ADDITIONALLY, SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE  
TONIGHT INTO PARTS OF THE DAY WEDNESDAY. OVERALL RISK IS LOW BUT  
CAN'T RULE OUT A FEW STRONGER WIND GUST IN THE 30-40 MPH RANGE.  
 
THE COLD FRONT CROSS LAKE ERIE WEDNESDAY EVENING WITH WINDS  
QUICKLY BECOMING NORTHEAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS  
IN OVERHEAD ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, WITH QUIET WEATHER  
CONDITIONS ON LAKE ERIE.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...04  
AVIATION...23  
MARINE...SAUNDERS  
 
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