Sunshine Rain chances increase for Tuesday

CLEVELAND - 10:00 pm Update: Dry for the Tuesday morning rush. Rain for the evening commute!

Skies will remain clear through the midnight hour. Clouds will move in from the southwest and thicken up after that. We will stay dry tonight, with low temperatures dropping back into the middle and upper 20s.

Next winter storm will move slowly into Southern Indiana during the morning hours. The slow movement should save us from significant freezing rain and sleet issues. In fact, the precipitation will hold off until late morning and early afternoon in most spots. that means it will be warm enough for just rain. The exception could be western Ohio including Ottawa County. The precipitation there may start out as a brief period of freezing rain or sleet. Rainfall could be moderate to heavy during the afternoon hours, making a slow commute for motorists headed home from work or school. High temperatures will climb up to near 40 degrees.

Look for a quick change over to snow between 7 & 9 pm Tuesday evening. I expect 1-3 inches of snow for all of the area by dawn on Wednesday. A few spots in the snow belts of Lake, Geauga, & Ashtabula Counties could pick up as much as 5 or 6 inches of snow by Wednesday morning's rush hour. Lows Tuesday night will bottom out in the middle 20s.

Wednesday will stay cold with scattered snow showers. Accumulations will be light...generally an inch or two. Highs will hang in the middle 30s.

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Temps have risen into the upper 30s with ample sun. I expect many spots to touch 40. This is the warmest weather we'll see the rest of the month.

There are some reports of localized thick fog lowering visibility down to 1/4 mile in spots. The fog should lift by 9am.

Temps to begin your Monday will run in the middle 20s under party cloudy skies. Expect plenty of sunshine, yes SUN for Monday. Highs will recover a bit, rising into the upper 30s. Lunch-time readings should be a few degrees north of freezing.

A storm system will creep toward us by Tuesday and that should bring us rain during the afternoon with highs again in the upper 30s. Some spots early in the day and late in the day could see some wintry precip mixing in, but for the most part, this should be a rain event for us.

The month will end with winter being fully felt across northern Ohio. A dip in the jet stream across the midwest and the east coast means cooler temps with scattered snow showers. Highs will only top out in the low 30s and upper 20s into the upcoming weekend.  Out best snow chance will be Wed/Thurs. Not a ton of snow, but enough to cause a few travel troubles... no major winter storms in the near term forecast, but the cold air will be around. No spring preview like we typically see this time of the year. Cold.