528  
FXUS61 KCLE 191115  
AFDCLE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH  
715 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 /12Z 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 SHOWERS 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). THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL  
IS MAINLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. NON-VFR MAY 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
 
 
A COLD FRONT WILL WORK ITS WAY SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE LAKE THIS  
MORNING. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ACCOMPANY THE FRONT, AND  
COULD PRODUCE WATERSPOUTS. SOUTHWEST WINDS AROUND 15 TO 20 KNOTS  
ARE POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN BASIN,  
PRODUCING WAVES IN THE 2 TO 4 FT RANGE. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK  
OF RIP CURRENTS.  
 
THE COLD FRONT MOVES SOUTH OF THE LAKE BY MID-AFTERNOON,  
ALLOWING FOR CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN  
OVERHEAD BY THURSDAY NIGHT BEFORE DEPARTING TO THE EAST FRIDAY  
AND FRIDAY NIGHT.  
 
LOW PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION ON SATURDAY WITH  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY AFFECTING LAKE ERIE, ESPECIALLY  
DURING THE AFTERNOON. STRONG WIND GUSTS MAY BE POSSIBLE.  
SOUTHWEST FLOW OF AROUND 10 TO 15 KNOTS IS EXPECTED INITIALLY  
BEFORE THE COLD FRONT CROSSES SATURDAY EVENING AND NORTHWEST  
FLOW AROUND 15 KNOTS PRODUCES WAVES IN THE 2 TO 4 FT RANGE  
SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...15  
AVIATION...SAUNDERS  
MARINE...SAUNDERS  
 
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