Issued: 8pm on Sunday, March 15th 2026
Technical Forecast Discussion
Key Messages:
- Temperatures will plummet Monday into Tuesday as a potent cold front passes over the state and cold air is ushered into the region.
- We may see some rain early Monday morning before possibly transitioning into snow flurries by the afternoon.
- Stable conditions to return by mid-week as calm conditions settle in.
Short-Term Forecast (Sunday 03/15/2026 through Tuesday 03/17/2026):
A trough to the west will deepen as we move into the new week, bringing a potent low along with it. Moisture will move in from the west, and as this low moves with this moisture, the chance for rain returns early Monday morning. Thankfully, this rain isn’t expected to bring severe weather, but it may make the morning commute a little soggy. As this low pushes northeastward, strong cold air advection will move just behind it as it follows behind a potent cold front. This will lead to significant cooling during the day on Monday and overnight into Tuesday. This will cause our high temperature on Tuesday to peak very early in the morning as cold air continues to pummel the state. This cold front will be accompanied by a deep trough digging even further into the state throughout Tuesday, helping funnel in these frigid temperatures. We may also see some brief snow flurries Monday afternoon as additional moisture pushes through alongside the cold temperatures. Otherwise, relatively stable conditions are expected into the start of the work week, albeit quite chilly.
Long-Term Forecast (Wednesday 03/18/2026 through Saturday 03/21/2026):
Thankfully, the deep trough will move eastward towards New England and won’t linger over the state for very long. A broad ridge will just barely engulf Ohio early Thursday morning, and by this time, warmer temperatures will slowly creep back into the region. Stable conditions will only continue through the remainder of the week and into the weekend as generally high-pressure settles over the eastern US, though a low may sneak just north of Ohio by Saturday, though hardly anything is expected from this other than a weak cold front moving over the state. Partly cloudy skies will generally dot southeastern Ohio, but very stable conditions will persist by mid-week.
