218  
FXUS61 KCLE 181115  
AFDCLE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND OH  
715 AM EDT TUE AUG 18 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES NEEDED WITH THIS UPDATE.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
1) SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ON WEDNESDAY.  
 
2) AFTER A DRY PERIOD LATE WEEK, UNSETTLED WEATHER RETURNS TO THE  
REGION OVER THE WEEKEND WITH PERIODIC SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS  
LIKELY.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...  
HIGH PRESSURE WILL PRODUCE DRY WEATHER AND LOW HUMIDITY TODAY. RAIN  
CHANCES WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE LATE TONIGHT AND ESPECIALLY EARLY  
WEDNESDAY MORNING AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST.  
THERE'S STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY WITH HOW FAST THE FRONT MOVES ACROSS  
THE AREA AND HOW MUCH MOISTURE IS IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA DURING  
THAT TIME, BUT THERE IS A DECENT CHANCE OF ALL LOCATIONS SEEING AT  
LEAST A BRIEF PERIOD OF RAIN AT SOME POINT ON WEDNESDAY. THERE  
WILL LIKELY BE SOME DESTABILIZATION DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY,  
ALTHOUGH THE MAGNITUDE IS UNCERTAIN GIVEN THE EARLY-MORNING  
ARRIVAL OF RAIN AND CLOUDS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR LOWER  
SHOWER/STORM COVERAGE BY AFTERNOON. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS  
LOW AT THIS POINT SINCE THE BEST UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT MAY NOT  
ARRIVE UNTIL LATER WEDNESDAY.  
 
LINGERING SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG/SOUTH OF US-30 INTO  
WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH CONDITIONS DRYING OUT ON THURSDAY.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2...  
HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN TO THE AREA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AND  
DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR THE END OF THE WORKWEEK, BUT THE  
FORECAST FOR THE WEEKEND IS TRENDING WETTER DUE TO AN UPPER  
TROUGH PIVOTING ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES SATURDAY/SUNDAY. PERIODIC  
SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE LIKELY OVER THE WEEKEND WITH THE MOST  
WIDESPREAD SHOWERS/STORMS CURRENTLY FORECAST FOR LATE SATURDAY  
AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY EVENING, ALTHOUGH THERE IS STILL  
UNCERTAINTY IN THE COVERAGE/TIMING DUE TO SOMEWHAT LOW  
CONFIDENCE IN THE SPEED/MAGNITUDE OF THE UPPER TROUGH. BASED ON  
LATEST GUIDANCE, IT LOOKS THE MOST WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND STORMS  
WILL BE ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING WITH PRECIP POSSIBLY  
BECOMING MORE LAKE-ENHANCED ON SUNDAY AS THE TROUGH AXIS PUSHES  
EAST ACROSS THE REGION. SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAIN CAN'T BE  
RULED OUT OVER THE WEEKEND, BUT CONFIDENCE IS TOO LOW TO DIG  
INTO THE POTENTIAL HAZARDS AND TIMING THIS EARLY IN THE FORECAST  
CYCLE.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD WITH SCATTERED TO  
BROKEN UPPER-LEVEL CIRRUS. PATCHY BR/FG IS THROUGH 13Z AWAY  
FROM THE LAKE, AND IS MOST LIKELY AT KMFD AND KYNG. A LINE OF  
SHOWERS MOVES SOUTHEAST ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA AFTER 06Z,  
THOUGH WILL LIKELY SLOW DOWN OR DWINDLE BEFORE REACHING  
KCAK/KYNG. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT FROM THE NORTH OR NORTHWEST 5 TO  
8 KNOTS, BECOMING SOUTHWEST TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW MORNING.  
 
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...15  
AVIATION...SAUNDERS  
MARINE...SAUNDERS  
 
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