000  
FXUS61 KCLE 212339  
AFDCLE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH  
739 PM EDT FRI AUG 21 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK. LOW CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION IN NW OH  
LATE THIS EVENING WITH WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED  
SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH A LOW END SEVERE THREAT.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
1) SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT AND, WITH  
GREATER COVERAGE, SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH A MARGINAL  
RISK (LEVEL 1 OUT OF 5) FOR SEVERE WEATHER.  
 
2) LINGERING SHOWERS IN NE OH AND NW PA LIKELY SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY  
WITH BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...  
HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO BUILD OFF TO INTO EASTERN CANADA THROUGH  
THE END OF THE TODAY AS A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ENTERS THE  
WESTERN GREAT LAKES. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION  
AND SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL TO THE REGION SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO  
THE EVENING. AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM, A SHORTWAVE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE  
THROUGH THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES THAT WILL GENERATE SOME LOW END  
POTENTIAL FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY FOR WESTERN AND NORTH  
CENTRAL OHIO. THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING THERE MAY BE SOME LINGERING  
SHOWERS ACROSS WESTERN OHIO THAT WILL BE DISSIPATING AS THE MOVE  
EASTWARD INTO THE MID MORNING HOURS. THIS COULD INHIBIT THE OVERALL  
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT LATER IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING DEPENDING  
ON HOW QUICKLY THE SHOWERS DISSIPATE AND CLOUD COVER CLEARS.  
 
AHEAD OF THE SURFACE COLD FRONT, THERE WILL BE A PRE-FRONTAL THAT  
WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION AND BE THE SUPPORT FOR SEVERE WEATHER  
TO DEVELOP OFF OF. MODELS HAVE BEEN IN DECENT AGREEMENT OF THE  
TIMING OF STORMS STARTING IN NORTH CENTRAL OHIO IN THE LATE  
AFTERNOON AND MOVING EASTWARD THROUGH THE LATE EVENING. THERE WILL  
BE DECENT INSTABILITY IN THE FORM OF AROUND 1500 J/KG OF MLCAPE WITH  
LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES OF 7.0-7.5 C/KM. THOUGH, THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF  
SHEAR WILL BE A LIMITING FACTOR FOR SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL AS  
THERE WILL BE AROUND 20-30 KNOTS OF BULK SHEAR. THE MAIN THREATS FOR  
THIS SYSTEM WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS WITHIN DOWNBURSTS WITH A  
SECONDARY THREAT OF LARGE HAIL POSSIBLE. THE COLD FRONT WILL PASS  
THROUGH LATE SATURDAY EVENING INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING, THOUGH WITH  
THE ATMOSPHERE BEING WORKED OVER WITH THE PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH, SEVERE  
WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED WITH THE PASSAGE.  
 
OVERALL PRECIPITATION ACCUMULATION HAS REMAINED ON TRACK WITH  
PREVIOUS FORECAST RUNS WITH BETWEEN 0.25" AND 0.75" EXPECTED, WITH  
THE HIGHER END AMOUNTS ACROSS NORTHEASTERN OHIO AND NORTHWESTERN  
PENNSYLVANIA. FLASH FLOODING POTENTIAL IS ON THE LOWER END FOR THIS  
SYSTEM, THOUGH A QUICK INCH OR TWO OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE IN THE  
STRONGER STORMS THAT COULD BRING SOME NUISANCE FLOODING. OVERALL,  
THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT AND WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED  
TO END BEFORE DAYBREAK ON SUNDAY.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2...  
BEHIND THE COLD FRONT PASSAGE EARLY SUNDAY MORNING THERE WILL BE A  
LINGERING TROUGH THAT SETS UP ACROSS EASTERN LAKE ERIE THAT PERSISTS  
THROUGH MONDAY. A MUCH COOLER CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN TO  
BUILD INTO THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES ON SUNDAY AS WELL THAT WILL USHER  
IN UNSEASONABLY COOLER TEMPERATURES. WITH THE LAKE RELATIVELY WARM  
STILL, LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS ARE LIKELY ACROSS THE PRIMARY SNOWBELT  
REGION. SHOWERS WILL PERSIST THROUGH MONDAY WITH CHANCES DECREASING  
INTO TUESDAY AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS IN TO THE OHIO VALLEY THAT  
WILL SHIFT FLOW ACROSS LAKE ERIE TO BE MORE WESTERLY THAN  
NORTHWESTERLY.  
 
TEMPERATURES AS A RESULT OF THE CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN  
WILL DROP TO BE BELOW AVERAGE FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY BEFORE BEGINNING  
TO REBOUND TUESDAY. HIGHS ACROSS THE REGION ON SUNDAY WILL BE IN THE  
UPPER 60S IN NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA TO THE MID 70S IN NORTHWESTERN  
OHIO. MONDAY, TEMPERATURES WILL BE A FEW DEGREES COOLER BEFORE  
EVERYONE WARMS BACK UP INTO THE MID 70S ON TUESDAY. OVERNIGHT LOWS  
WILL BE DOWN INTO THE MID TO LOW 50S SUNDAY AND MONDAY BEFORE THEY  
RISE BACK UP TO NEAR NORMAL.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
PRIMARILY VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO START THIS TAF PERIOD  
BEFORE A COLD FRONT APPROACHES ON SATURDAY AND BRING THE CHANCE  
FOR WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. SOME MVFR CEILINGS MAY  
CREEP INTO THE FAR WESTERN TERMINALS SATURDAY MORNING, BUT AS  
MIXING INCREASES WITH HEATING THESE SHOULD LIFT. THEN AS SHOWERS  
PROGRESS EAST BEGINNING LATE MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON, LOCALLY  
HEAVY RAINFALL MAY REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO MVFR, POSSIBLY IFR, AT  
TIMES. BEST CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DURING THE  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS ON SATURDAY WHEN PEAK HEATING  
OCCURS.  
 
LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS OVERNIGHT WILL BECOME SOUTHWEST AT 5-10  
KNOTS SATURDAY MORNING. THESE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT TO  
NORTHWESTERLY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT DURING THE AFTERNOON/EVENING  
HOURS FOR WESTERN TERMINALS WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 KNOTS POSSIBLE.  
 
OUTLOOK...NON-VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD CONTINUE SATURDAY NIGHT  
THROUGH EARLY MONDAY IN LAKE ENHANCED SHOWERS AND STORMS ACROSS  
NORTHEAST OHIO AND NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
ONSHORE FLOW OUT OF THE NORTHEAST ENDS THIS EVENING, TURNING  
OFFSHORE TONIGHT LESS THAN 10KTS AND WAVE HEIGHTS COMING DOWN  
BELOW 1FT. A COLD FRONT APPROACHES SATURDAY WITH INCREASING  
STORM CHANCES, AND PASSAGE ACROSS THE LAKE EXPECTED IN THE  
EVENING. WINDS BECOME NORTHWESTERLY 15-25KTS THROUGH SUNDAY  
NIGHT WITH WAVE HEIGHTS CLIMBING TO 3-6FT AND WILL LIKELY NEED A  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN BASINS. WITH  
THIS BEING A COOLER AIRMASS OVER THE WARMER LAKE, WATERSPOUTS  
COULD BECOME AN ISSUE DURING THIS SAME TIME FRAME. WINDS EASE  
AND BECOME OFFSHORE MIDWEEK, BRINGING WAVE HEIGHTS DOWN.  
 
 
   
CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
OH...NONE.  
PA...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...23  
AVIATION...04  
MARINE...26  
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