Moderation in View

This past weekend storm was an over achiever in the snow department. With added moisture from the Great Lakes, snowfall amounts in the Cleveland area were in the 5-10 inch range. With an addition 1-2 inches of snowfall from a system on Sunday, the region had a very snowy weekend.  Early morning temperatures today near forty degrees  (40) have fallen rapidly to around twelve degrees (12) this afternoon. Temperatures will continue to fall and by Tuesday morning, temperatures near ten below (-10) will be common. Tuesday temperatures will struggle to rise most of the day but should reach a few degrees above zero. Overnight Tuesday will be another cold one with temperatures approaching ten below (-10) again before the air mass begins to moderate on Wednesday.  This cold air seems to be about five (5) degrees warmer than the one we experienced at the beginning of this month.The moderation in temperatures will continue though the end of the week with high temperatures approaching the freezing mark by the weekend. As we enter into February, the area looks to transition into a more active pattern as the strong western ridge weakens and allows a broad trough to form, centered over the eastern Rocky Mountains.

Currently the Arctic boundary is located far to our south and east. Conditions for our area will be dry and cold for next few days while an area of low pressure spreads snow and ice from Louisiana to North Carolina. Tonight will be dangerously cold across the area as temperatures fall to near ten below (-10) with wind chills near twenty-five below (-25). Temperatures on Tuesday will only rise to near five degrees above zero (5).

Wednesday the Arctic high pressure will be moving east of the Ohio Valley providing one more sub-zero morning for the area on Wednesday. Thereafter temperatures will begin to moderate under a flow out of the south and west. 

Friday a slow moving system will move through the area with some light precipitation. Temperatures should remain cold enough for snow but rain could mix in, especially for areas south of Canton. Looking ahead, the area will remain in a colder than normal pattern through at least the first week of February. A more broad trough across the northern tier of the country should allow a moderation of temperatures in the Ohio Valley, but also more storminess which could produce decent snows in the area.