Brutal November Cold Continues

So much for easing into winter this cold season. Bitterly cold air has settled across the Eastern half of the US of A with half of the lower 48 reporting at least one inch of snow. Lake effect snow off of Lake Erie settled south into Northeastern Ohio Thursday evening though Friday dropping up to a foot of snow on eastern Cuyahoga County and up to six (6) inches near the airport. Sunday night into Monday morning a system tracking along an arctic front provided 3-6 inches of snow for much of the area. Thankfully the ground temperatures were warm enough to prevent much of the snow from sticking on the pavement. This same system also spun nearly twelve (12) tornadoes from Louisiana east into Georgia.  Now a much below normal air mass is centered over the eastern half of the country. Heavy lake effect snows are falling downwind of the Great Lakes. Northeast Ohio is being spared this time as a single intense snow band is hammering western New York State south of Buffalo.  Another shot of arctic air is on the way for Thursday before the deep trough lifts out and allows much more seasonable air to return for the weekend into early next week.

Currently unseasonably cold air is flowing into the nation from the Mississippi Valley eastward. It is producing heavy snowfall off the Great Lakes with snowfall rates approaching five (5) inches east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. High temperatures remained in the upper tens across all of Northern Ohio. Overnight lows around ten (10) degrees will be near record levels. 

On Wednesday a clipper system will move quickly through the Great Lakes. It will disrupt the lake effect snow bands and allow temperatures to reach near thirty-two (32) degrees across the region. Light snow may may fall during the day with accumulations not much more than one (1) inch. 

After the cold front moves through late Wednesday, more cold arctic air will return to the region. Lake Effect snow will mostly be directed into western New York but may move south if the winds turn more westerly or even northwesterly late Thursday. High temperatures will remain in the twenties (20's) on Thursday. On Friday a high pressure will move across the region. Temperatures during the day will remain in twenties (20's) but may rise overnight as warm air is advected into the area. 

On Saturday southerly winds will bring temperatures back to near seasonable levels. The snow cover should quickly begin to melt as temperatures move through the forties (40's).

On Sunday the warm up continues as a storm system strengthens over the middle Mississippi River Valley. High temperatures across the area should rise into the lower fifties (50's) and will melt the remaining snow. Ahead of the storm system there will be a potential for severe weather as a warm and moist air mass moves inland from the Gulf of Mexico. 

On Monday, the storm system will track through the Great Lakes region well north and west of Northern Ohio. High temperatures will make it into the fifties (50's) and fall during the day after the strong cold front moves through.  Look ahead to Thanksgiving day, the region may see temperatures remaining below normal, but not at the levels we are current experiencing this week.