Current Forecast: 8pm on Tuesday, February 1st 2022

Forecast Discussion

A Winter Storm Watch is in effect from 9pm Wednesday through 10am Friday

A significant winter storm looks to take shape over the region for the middle to end of the week, with the potential for a mixed bag of rain, ice, and snow to impact Southeast Ohio. Tonight, clouds will continue building ahead of an approaching cold front, with southerly flow keeping temperatures warmer than average as lows only dip to near freezing tonight. As the front approaches the area, rain will break out Wednesday afternoon and evening, continuing into the overnight hours. The temperatures Wednesday night will begin to fall from the 40s into the 30s by Thursday morning, but how quickly they fall will have an enormous impact on precipitation type Thursday morning and beyond (and is still the greatest source of uncertainty in the forecast of the winter storm at this point). If the warm air can remain above freezing for much of the day Thursday, then the region is likely to see continued heavy rain until a changeover to a much more abbreviated period of ice then snow Thursday evening into Friday morning. In this scenario, lesser (but still notable) impacts would be felt by snow and ice based on the shorter duration, with more of an isolated flooding threat followed by some slick travel Thursday night/Friday. However, if the cold air can advance quickly, and temperatures crash below freezing mid to late Thursday morning, a much longer duration icing event might be in store. If this scenario pans out, several hours (maybe upwards of 12 hours) of freezing rain, heavy at times, would eventually give way to sleet and a little snow on the back end by Friday morning. Should the prolonged icing event take shape, heavy icing would lead to a substantial threat of impossible travel, power outages, and scattered damage to tree limbs. Right now, it appears that up to 1″ of rain is possible through Wednesday night before a transition to 0.25-0.5″ or more of ice Thursday, and then 1-3″ of snow and sleet accumulation on the backside of the system Friday morning. Afterwards, Arctic air will filter in behind the system, with temperatures approaching zero and subzero wind chills likely Saturday morning. The forecast is still in flux and will be refined as we get closer to the event, but prepare for the possibility of a high-impact ice event that could pose serious issues for travel and infrastructure.

Detailed Forecast

Tonight it will be mostly cloudy with no precipitation. Winds from the S at 0 to 5 mph. Low 31°F

Wednesday it will be cloudy with an 80% chance of afternoon rain. Winds from the S at 0 to 5 mph. High 44°F

Wednesday Night it will be cloudy with a 90% chance of heavy rain. Winds from the SE at 0 to 5 mph. Low 38°F

Thursday it will be cloudy with a 90% chance of freezing rain. Winds from the N at 5 to 10 mph. High 38°F

Extended Forecast

Friday it will be mostly cloudy with a 60% chance of snow showers. High near 27°F with a low near 0°F

Saturday it will be mostly sunny with no precipitation. High near 29°F with a low near 10°F

Sunday it will be partly cloudy with no precipitation. High near 38°F with a low near 18°F