670  
FXUS61 KCLE 190733  
AFDCLE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH  
333 AM EDT WED AUG 19 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
POPS AND QPF HAVE TRENDED FURTHER NORTH FOR TONIGHT, RESULTING  
IN AN INCREASED RISK OF HEAVY RAINFALL IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF  
THE AREA. SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ARE ALSO INCREASING FOR  
SATURDAY.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
1) SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY TODAY AND TONIGHT.  
HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED FLOODING POSSIBLE IN THE SOUTHERN  
HALF OF THE AREA TONIGHT.  
 
2) AN UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN RETURNS THIS WEEKEND WITH PERIODS OF  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...  
A COLD FRONT WILL MEANDER SOUTH/SOUTHEAST TOWARDS THE AREA  
TODAY, RESULTING IN CHANCES OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS  
ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE DAY TODAY. AT THIS POINT, INSTABILITY  
WILL LIKELY BE TOO LOW FOR SEVERE WEATHER CONCERNS. MORE  
WIDESPREAD RAIN WILL ARRIVE OVERNIGHT THE FRONT PUSHES SOUTH  
AND BETTER MOISTURE MOVES INTO THE AREA, BUT THERE IS STILL SOME  
UNCERTAINTY IN HOW FAR NORTH THE SHOWERS WILL BE AND WHERE THE  
HEAVIEST RAIN WILL OCCUR. RECENT CAMS HAVE SHIFTED SIGNIFICANTLY  
FARTHER NORTH WITH THE HIGHEST QPF AXIS, AND MODERATE TO HEAVY  
RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE GENERALLY SOUTH OF US-30 THIS EVENING INTO  
EARLY THURSDAY MORNING AS PWATS INCREASE TO NEARLY 2 INCHES.  
THERE ARE ALSO CONCERNS FOR TRAINING AS SHOWERS/STORMS MOVE WEST  
TO EAST PARALLEL TO THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. SOILS ARE SATURATED  
IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE AREA AFTER RECENT HEAVY RAINFALL SO  
IT WON'T TAKE MUCH TO FLOOD IF HEAVY RAINFALL DOES MATERIALIZE  
IN THE LOCAL AREA. WILL NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON GUIDANCE TRENDS  
OVER THE NEXT FORECAST CYCLE. WPC HAS INTRODUCED A SLIGHT ERO  
(LEVEL 2 OF 4) TO THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE AREA TO ACCOUNT FOR  
THE NORTHWARD SHIFT IN HEAVY RAINFALL POTENTIAL.  
 
THE PACE OF THE FRONT HAS SLOWED CONSIDERABLY AND SCATTERED  
SHOWERS REMAIN POSSIBLE IN THE SOUTHEASTERN HALF OF THE AREA  
THROUGH LATE THURSDAY MORNING AND POSSIBLY AS LATE AS THURSDAY  
AFTERNOON.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2...  
DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION  
THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY, BUT UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL RETURN  
TO THE REGION OVER THE WEEKEND AS A SERIES OF UPPER TROUGHS PUSH  
ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES. THE MOST WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY OCCUR SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY  
EVENING AS THE FIRST UPPER TROUGH MOVES EAST ACROSS THE AREA.  
THE REGION WILL BE IN THE WARM SECTOR SO THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF  
MOISTURE AND LIKELY SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY TO WARRANT AT LEAST  
AN ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER THREAT, BUT CONFIDENCE IN THE EXACT  
TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF STORMS REMAINS RELATIVELY LOW THIS FAR  
OUT. WILL NEED TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SEVERE WEATHER  
POTENTIAL IN THE COMING DAYS. ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE  
LIKELY ACROSS NE OH AND NW PA AS THE SECONDARY TROUGH PUSHES  
ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY, ALTHOUGH IT'S LIKELY THAT PRECIP  
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE WILL BE LAKE-ENHANCED.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
A COLD FRONT WILL BRING LIGHT, SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS THIS  
MORNING, WITH LARGELY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED. BRIEF PERIODS OF  
MVFR CEILINGS WILL BE POSSIBLE, WITH AND FOR A COUPLE HOURS  
BEHIND THE DEPARTING SHOWERS LATER THIS MORNING INTO THE EARLY  
AFTERNOON.  
 
THE COLD FRONT STALLS OVER THE AREA, AND ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT MAINLY  
ALONG AND SOUTH OF US-30, THOUGH IT'S POSSIBLE THEY COULD EXTEND  
FARTHER NORTH (THERE'S SOME UNCERTAINTY IN THIS REGARD). FOR  
NOW, HIGHEST CONFIDENCE IS ALONG OUR SOUTHERN TAF SITES  
(INCLUDING KFDY, KMFD, KCAK, AND KYNG). NON-VFR WILL MAINLY  
OCCUR WITH LOWER VISIBILITY IN HEAVIER SHOWERS/STORMS.  
 
OUTLOOK...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED  
AREAWIDE ON SATURDAY, BEFORE BECOMING MORE FOCUSED ALONG THE  
LAKESHORE AREAS OF NORTHEAST OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA  
SATURDAY NIGHT. ADDITIONAL SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS  
ARE POSSIBLE EAST OF I-77 ON SUNDAY.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
CONDITIONS ACROSS LAKE ERIE WILL REMAIN FAIRLY QUIET AS WINDS  
WITH BE OUT OF THE WEST TO NORTHWEST AT 5 TO 10 KNOTS THIS  
EVENING, THEN INCREASING TO 10 TO 15 KNOTS OVERNIGHT INTO  
WEDNESDAY MORNING. WAVES WILL BE CHOPPY, THOUGH THE HIGHEST  
WAVES 2 TO 4 FEET WILL STAY IN THE OPEN WATERS WITH THE NEAR  
SHORE SEEING 2 FEET OR LESS. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO BE  
NORTHERLY BEHIND A COLD FRONT ON WEDNESDAY AND DIMINISH TO 5 TO  
10 KNOTS AND PERSIST THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. WAVES WILL BE 1 TO  
3 FEET AND POSSIBLY AROUND 4 FEET IN THE NEAR SHORE WITH THE  
FRONT AND RIGHT AFTER, THEN WILL DIMINISH. FRIDAY, WINDS WILL  
SHIFT TO BE SOUTHERLY AT 5 TO 10 KNOTS, THEN SHIFT TO BE  
NORTHWESTERLY LATE SATURDAY NIGHT BEHIND A COLD FRONT,  
INCREASING TO 10 TO 15 KNOTS.  
 
THERE WILL BE POTENTIAL FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS  
LAKE ERIE WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY THAT COULD BRING HIGHER WINDS  
AND WAVES WITHIN THE STORMS. THERE IS HIGHER CONFIDENCE IN  
THUNDERSTORMS IMPACTING THE LAKE ON SATURDAY.  
 
 
   
CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
OH...NONE.  
PA...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...15  
AVIATION...SAUNDERS  
MARINE...23  
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