Issued: 8am on Thursday, January 8th 2026
Technical Forecast Discussion
Key Messages:
- Rain likely to return briefly on Friday, but the highest chance will come on Saturday as more moisture moves into the state.
- Temperatures will continue to rise into the mid-50s and even the mid-60s Thursday through Saturday. These temperatures will then plummet Sunday and into the start of the work week.
- More rain to possibly arrive next Wednesday.
Short-Term Forecast (Thursday 01/08/2026 through Saturday 01/10/2026):
Temperatures will continue to rise into Friday and will remain steady on Saturday as a warm front associated with a surface low moves over Ohio, reaching as high as the mid-60s on Friday. A ridge will briefly remain over the state briefly on Thursday before a deep low cuts across the country Thursday morning into Friday. The low moving eastward Thursday and Friday, in addition to this trough, will bring the chance for rain Friday afternoon as moisture follows alongside a cold front at the surface. This chance will be fairly miniscule as the moisture content in southeastern Ohio remains fairly scarce. The highest chance for rain will be seen on Saturday as a significantly larger content southwesterly moving moisture enters the region. This moisture will follow along yet another low and a cut-off low aloft. These lows will deepen throughout the day on Saturday but will continue to deepen as it exits the state. Winds are expected to move in primarily from the south with gusts up to around 20 mph both Friday and Saturday.
Long-Term Forecast (Sunday 01/11/2026 through Wednesday 01/14/2026):
As the low continues moving northeastward, conditions will significantly stabilize on Sunday as a cold front pushes through in the early morning hours on Sunday. High-pressure will follow close behind this low as a broad ridge builds aloft, bringing in drier air behind the cold front. Skies will begin to clear as clouds dissipate Sunday, but especially Monday and Tuesday. High-pressure will dominate Both Monday and Tuesday, but a trough will develop once more alongside yet another surface low. A shortwave could move over the region Wednesday into Thursday, and as this low approaches, may yet again bring rain back into southeastern Ohio. Temperatures will rapidly drop on Sunday and will stay consistently around the mid-30s for the remainder of the forecast, though will briefly warm into the lower-40s Tuesday as a result of a warm front just northeast of the state.
