CLEVELAND — Get ready for a very active holiday forecast. Rain, snow, strong winds - oh my! For an in-depth look at the wintry holiday forecast...click this link.
- WIND ADVISORY: Issued for nearly all of NEO from 10 am Wednesday until 4 am Thursday due to strong winds expected. Plan for southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.
- WINTER STORM WARNING: Issued for Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula Counties from Thursday morning through Friday PM. This watch WILL be updated to either an advisory or a warning.
After a soaked Tuesday, a few lingering light showers are expected tonight and into Wednesday. It will be mild, though! In fact, we're still near 50º at sunrise Wednesday morning with a few showers left over... that's when the story changes. Plan for temperatures to drop like a rock, winds to increase quickly, and rain to change over to snow tomorrow.
We QUICKLY drop from 50º, through the 40s, and into the 30s by noon! That means our rain showers will be changing to snow showers during the afternoon and the evening commute. Although the accumulation on Wednesday looks minor, there could certainly be slick and slippery roads, especially with it being a busy travel day for the holiday. Use extra caution on the roads! Make sure you're staying informed and are prepared for delays.
As temperatures decrease, winds will increase on Wednesday. A wind advisory will be in effect for most of the day. Plan for southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down, and a few power outages may result.
The storm pulls out quickly, but on the backside, it gets even colder, with Lake Effect Snow expected. Plan on heavy snow in squalls east of CLE and into the primary snowbelt on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Some communities could pick up 6 to 12 inches of snow. This will impact travel over the holiday. Not only is snow expected, but it will still be blustery on Thursday and Friday. This could cause blowing and drifting snow, plus brutal wind chills in the teens.
Lake effect snow will gradually taper off on Black Friday, but we may get in on another round of rain and snow to finish out the Holiday Weekend, especially on Sunday. More on that round as we get into the end of the week.
DAILY FORECAST:
Wednesday: Dropping temperatures. Rain changing to snow. Windy.| High: 50º -> 30s by noon
Thanksgiving Day: Cold & windy with lake effect snow. | High: 35º
Friday: Less windy but still cold & snowy east. | High: 33º
Saturday: Snow showers possible. Cold. | High: 35º
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