Coldest Temperatures of 2016

This past week was a snowy week for Northeast Ohio which allowed Cleveland to double its seasonal snowfall. Officially Cleveland remains more than twenty (20) inches below normal for snowfall; a deficient that is difficult but not impossible to make up by the end of the snow season. With the area blanketed in snow the coldest air of the season is arriving this weekend. Two surges of cold air arrived Friday evening and night sending temperatures plunging into the single digits. Thankfully the cold snap will not last long as temperatures next week moderate to and eventually above normal levels.

Currently the coldest air of the season has arrived for many sections of the Eastern U.S.A. Locally temperatures will hover around ten (10) degrees all day. Lake effect snow is being hindered by the extremely dry nature of the cold air.  Overnight the temperatures will fall to a few degrees on either side of zero (0) which will be the coldest temperatures seen locally since February 2015. Windchill values from today through Sunday morning will be ten to twenty (-10 to -20)  degrees below zero! Sunday will feature mostly sunny conditions early as temperatures moderate to near twenty (20) degrees. Light snow will spread into the area late Sunday night.

On Monday a storm system will approach the area and produce light snow mainly before noon.  Accumulations at most will be one or two inches. High temperatures will be in the lower thirties (30's). Another storm system will begin to organize over the Lower Mississippi River Valley producing showers and possible thunderstorms. Severe weather is not anticipated at this time.

On Tuesday the southern storm system will begin moving north along the Atlantic coast. At this time the path of the storm system will put the local area on the edge for minor accumulations. The path also will bring a period of snow to the major cities along the coast followed by heavy rain. Local temperatures will be in the lower thirties (30's).

After the storm system departs cold air will attempt to move back over the area behind a cold front that moves through on Wednesday.  With the weather pattern transitioning to a zonal pattern this cold air will at most be a glancing blow for the area. High temperatures on Wednesday will be in the lower thirties(30's). On Thursday conditions will be quiet with high temperatures near thirty (30) degrees. 

On Friday a storm system of Pacific origins will be moving into the Upper Plains. This will allow a deep southerly flow to move over the local area leading to temperatures rising well into the forties (40's). Looking ahead to the following week it appears that above normal temperatures will dominate much of the nation.