Forecast: Lake effect snow is likely Thursday and Friday after record warmth

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A Lake Effect Snow Warning is in effect Thursday morning through Saturday morning for the snow belt Cleveland and east.

A Wind Advisory is also in effect for much of the area through Thursday morning. We may see winds gusting to 50-55mph. Power outages are likely for areas along the lakeshore east of Cleveland.

A band of rain is moving through western Ohio and sliding east. It will bring us much colder air, as well a gust of wind. Behind the front, much colder slides in.

Our lake effect snow will start to develop during Thursday afternoon. The heaviest snows should form and fall Thursday night and during the day Friday. For Thursday, a west to east band of lake effect snow will form bringing several inches of snow Cleveland and east, along the shore. By Thursday night into Friday, the winds will shift a bit, and we'll start to see inland areas get more snow.

Where squalls persist, some spots in our warning area (Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula and Cuyahoga) could see 6-12 plus inches by Friday night.

Light rain and clouds will continue for the afternoon, before a cold front slides in tonight bringing light snow and much colder air. Lake snow will set up during the day Thursday and continue into Friday.

Update: Light rain will linger in Stark, Tuscarawas, Wayne, Portage and Trumbull Counties, while western counties stay mainly dry. A chance of rain returns this evening, followed by scattered snow showers early Thursday.

After hitting record highs in the low 60s this morning, afternoon temperatures will hover in the upper 50s. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.

10:30 a.m. Update: The Wind Advisory for Northeast Ohio has been canceled. Light rain will continue, especially east of I-71 for the next few hours. Expect cloudy and mild conditions this afternoon. A chance of rain returns later this evening.

9:00 a.m. Update: Brief heavy rain is quickly moving east. Ashtabula, Geauga, Portage, Stark, Tuscarawas and Trumbull Counties will get the rain, followed by 2 hours of steady, light rain. Wind gusts have already decreased in western counties.

7:00 a.m. Update: Heavy rain and imbedded thunderstorms are quickly moving west to east. Winds will gust up to 45 mph when rain arrives. Expect steady rain for the next several hours. It will be a slow commute! Check out our interactive radar here.
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Rain is slowly moving in from the west ahead of a cold front. The rain may be heavy at times during the morning commute through late morning. Isolated thunderstorms are also possible.

Rain will decrease this afternoon, with a few showers possible through the evening. Behind the cold front, much colder weather will arrive overnight. Temperatures will fall to the low 20s overnight with rain and snow showers likely.

Snow showers continue Thursday. A Lake Effect Snow Watch is in effect for Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula Counties from Thursday morning through late Friday. 6-12" of snow will fall where squalls persist.

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