Whitehouse, Ohio Weather Forecast Discussion

935
FXUS61 KCLE 231217
AFDCLE
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Cleveland OH
817 AM EDT Tue Sep 23 2025
.SYNOPSIS...
A cold front will settle toward the Ohio Valley today as a weak area
of low pressure departs to the east. This front will lift back north
as a warm front Wednesday as another low pressure system approaches
from the Mid Mississippi Valley. This low will lift into Ontario by
Thursday, dragging a cold front through the region. High pressure
will build in Friday before another cold front approaches
Saturday.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
The fog in Northwest Ohio is lifting into low stratus and the
low visibility in the region is dissipating. Therefore, have
cancelled the Dense Fog Advisory for the region and just have
another hour or two of patchy fog in the forecast.
Previous Discussion...
Well, most of the area received badly needed rainfall over the
past 12 hours thanks to a mid/upper shortwave and associated
surface low traversing a weak cold frontal boundary. This
shortwave/low and associated synoptic support will continue to
lift toward the eastern Great Lakes this morning, with the cold
front gradually settling southward in its wake toward the Ohio
Valley through the day. One more area of showers that is
currently lifting across NE Ohio should mainly be confined to NW
PA by 12Z, with lingering showers slowly becoming more confined
to the south and east of the CWA this afternoon as drier air and
weak ridging build into the region. The latest NBM POPS looked
very reasonable for today, so did not deviate from them which
yields likely to categorical POPS in NE Ohio and NW PA early
this morning decreasing to slight chance to chance this
afternoon. Most of the region will stay dry this afternoon.
Besides the lingering rain this morning, fog will be an issue.
Dense fog with visibilities down to one half to one quarter mile
has already broken out in NW Ohio where skies have sufficiently
clear, and given the saturated low-levels, small temp/Td
depressions, and light winds, this fog will continue to expand
east early this morning as the showers end. Issued a Dense Fog
Advisory for NW Ohio into western parts of the Central
Highlands, but could even see areas of dense fog a bit farther
east. This will gradually dissipate as the boundary layer warms
by mid morning. Highs today will range from the low/mid 70s in
NE Ohio and NW PA to the upper 70s to around 80 in NW Ohio.
Tonight and Wednesday, a second mid/upper closed low rotating
out of the Rockies through the southern Plains will begin to
phase with the old mid/upper closed low in the northern Great
Lakes. This will eventually result in a broad mid/upper trough
from the Great Lakes through the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys by
Thursday. In response to this phasing, jet coupling between a
70+ knot upper jet over Lower Michigan and a near 100 knot upper
jet over Missouri will support a deepening surface low lifting
from Missouri tonight through northern Ohio late Wednesday.
Deepening warm air advection will lift the old frontal boundary
back northward as a warm front late tonight and Wednesday out
ahead of the deepening low, with warm/moist advection and
isentropic ascent leading to widespread rain lifting across the
region Wednesday. Enough instability will also be advected into
the area for embedded convection, so maintained thunder for the
afternoon. Have POPS gradually increasing late tonight,
becoming likely to categorical in NW and north central Ohio by
late Wednesday morning and likely to categorical in most areas
in the afternoon, so another soaking rain is likely in most
areas. Lows tonight will range from the upper 50s to low 60s,
with highs Wednesday limited to the low to mid 70s given the
increasing rainfall coverage.
&&
.SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/...
The deepening surface low will continue northward across Lake
Erie Wednesday night and Ontario Province Thursday. There will
be a dry slot in the warm sector Wednesday evening into
Wednesday night before some showers and thunder fill back in
along the trailing cold front Thursday, but the duration of the
dry slot is uncertain due to uncertainty on the exact track of
the surface low. Tracks from the latest NAM and RAP suggest that
the axis of heaviest, most persistent rainfall associated with
the mid-level deformation zone to the west of the low track may
be in Indiana and NW Ohio, but ensemble guidance, including
early looks at the HREF probability-matched mean, paint the
greatest swath of QPF across central and SE Ohio. This will
ultimately determine how much rain occurs Wednesday into
Thursday, so leaned on WPC QPF at this time which suggests
generally 0.50 to 0.75 inches in NW Ohio and 0.75 to 1 inch
across much of NE Ohio and NW PA, with a swath of 1 to 1.50 inch
amounts from the Central Highlands area through interior NE
Ohio. These amounts and the axis of the highest amounts may
shift west or east and higher or lower over the next couple of
cycles as guidance comes into better agreement. Model guidance
probabilities of 24 hour rainfall greater than 0.5 inch by
Thursday morning range from around 30% in NW Ohio to around 50%
near U.S. 30 which helps to highlight the uncertainty at this
time.
Drier air will gradually work into the area behind the cold
front Thursday afternoon and Thursday night, but maintained
slight chance to chance POPS given the broad mid/upper trough
axis overhead and the cold frontal progression slowing just east
of the region. By Friday and Friday night, high pressure will
attempt to build in from the Upper Midwest. Kept NBM POPS
through Friday night given uncertainty with how fast the
lingering trough and front can drift away, but would expect this
period to eventually trend completely dry.
Highs will generally range from the low to mid 70s Thursday and
Friday. Lows Wednesday night will range from the upper 50s to
low 60s, cooling into the mid/upper 50s Thursday night and
low/mid 50s Friday night as the drier air gradually works in.
&&
.LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
Confidence in the pattern evolution further decreases this weekend
into early next week. A northern stream mid/upper trough will
progress from the Upper Midwest Saturday through the Northeast
U.S. Sunday, likely bringing a cold front through the region
late Saturday or Saturday night. However, there are significant
differences among guidance in the depth of the mid/upper trough
and amount of cool air. This may be partially attributed to the
old trough from late in the week becoming cut off over the
Tennessee Valley and Deep South. Made no changes to NBM Saturday
through Monday, with slight chances for showers late Saturday
and Saturday night, mainly in NE Ohio and NW PA, turning dry
everywhere Sunday and Monday. Highs will warm into the mid 70s
to around 80 Saturday, cooling into the low to mid 70s Sunday
and Monday.
&&
.AVIATION /12Z Tuesday THROUGH Saturday/...
A few light rain showers continue to persist generally along
and east of I-71, though should push eastward through the pre-
dawn hours. All ceiling/visibility conditions across the
spectrum, though IFR/LIFR is most common with ceilings as low as
200-500 ft. Fog hasn`t been as originally expected with
visibilities generally only down to the 1-2 SM range.
Conditions will gradually improve to MVFR by late this morning
and then VFR conditions this afternoon as ceilings/visibilities
improve and then clouds scatter out. Isolated to scattered rain
showers may persist across the far eastern portion of the
forecast area through early this afternoon, and then also move
in from the northwest into parts of Northwest Ohio late this
afternoon into early this evening.
Patchy fog my be possible along and east of I-77 late tonight
into early Wednesday morning. KYNG is the only TAF site with
visibility restrictions at this time. Started with a
conservative visibility forecast but 1/4 SM fog will be
possible. Meanwhile, a low pressure system approaches from the
southwest with a large precipitation shield creeping in with
light rain showers Wednesday morning. Unlikely to see non-VFR
with the rain, though should start to see clouds thickening and
ceilings gradually lowering at sites such as KTOL, KFDY, and
KMFD.
West to northwest winds of around 3 to 7 knots are expected
today. Winds become light and variable areawide tonight.
Outlook...Widespread non-VFR conditions expected Wednesday
through Thursday with areawide rain showers and low ceilings.
Non-VFR with scattered rain showers may linger into Friday.
&&
.MARINE...
Southwest winds become northwest this afternoon, though speeds are
generally expected to be less than 10 knots. Light and variable
conditions ensue tonight before becoming east-northeast Wednesday
afternoon following the passage a cold front. Weak low pressure will
then move northeast across Lake Erie Wednesday night into Thursday,
with variety wind direction and speeds generally 15 knots or less;
however, there are a few outlier models that strengthen this low,
resulting in wind speeds >25 knots. We`ll have to keep an eye on
this time period. Northwest to west flow then generally expected
Thursday and Friday.
&&
.CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OH...None.
PA...None.
MARINE...None.
&&
$$
SYNOPSIS...Garuckas
NEAR TERM...Garuckas/Sefcovic
SHORT TERM...Garuckas
LONG TERM...Garuckas
AVIATION...Saunders
MARINE...Saunders

NWS CLE Office Area Forecast Discussion