Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Cleveland, OH

Current Version |  Previous Version |  Graphics & Text |  Print | Product List |  Glossary Off
Versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
-- Highlight Changed Discussion --
-- Discussion containing changed information from previous version are highlighted. --
186 FXUS61 KCLE 050417 AFDCLE Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Cleveland OH 1217 AM EDT Wed Jun 5 2024 .SYNOPSIS... A warm front will move north tonight through Wednesday morning followed by a cold front Wednesday evening. A surface trough will build in on Thursday, lingering over the area through the weekend. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
-- Changed Discussion --
12:10 AM Update... Reworked the PoPs timing through Thursday, and especially to better time out thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon/evening. Seems like most model guidance is coming to better agreement with timing. Also added heavy rain mention has the high moisture content should result in efficient and heavy rainfall with most thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon/evening. The severe weather threat also appears to have shifted westward with the primary severe weather threat west of I-71 and especially in the vicinity of the I-75 corridor. Will discuss the details more with the 4 AM forecast package. Previous discussion... A negatively tilted upper level trough will continue to push south towards the Great Lakes region tonight. The occluded surface low, now associated with this trough will linger north of the US/Canada border, but a triple point will develop over the western Great Lakes region, extending a cold front south across the Midwest and moving a warm front north across the area tonight. This warm front will bring the chance of showers and maybe a rumble of thunder across the area, although much of the convection looks to be elevated based on model soundings. The best isentropic lift and frontogenesis will be centered over the eastern portion of the CWA where the confidence is highest of overnight showers, but cannot rule out a few showers elsewhere. Overnight lows will remain mild, only falling into the upper 60s to low 70s. This boundary will push north of the CWA by Wednesday morning, allowing for a very moist and warm air mass to push north over the area in the warm sector of the low. By Wednesday afternoon, dewpoints will climb into the upper 60s to low 70s. With this and daytime heating, instability values should climb, the biggest question is how much any lingering morning clouds/showers limit the warming. On average, models currently have near 1000 J/kg of MLCAPE developing over the area in the afternoon. There will be upper level support from the aforementioned trough over the area, however enhance low level features do not kick in until closer to 00Z Thursday as a LLJ moves over the area. Near this time, shear values should climb around 30 knots which coupled with the other environmental factors should lead to some organized convection late Wednesday afternoon through the evening hours. There is a potential for some storms to develop earlier than this as a prefrontal trough moves across the area, but will need to continue to monitor this and the potential interaction with the storms along the cold front. High temperatures will climb into the upper 70s to low 80s. In addition to the severe threat, deepening warm cloud layers and PWATS of 1.5-1.8" will combine to create a threat for heavy rainfall with the strongest storms having rainfall rates near 1-2" per hour. These rainfall rates, combined with a non-zero potential of some training storms in the evening, may result in localized flooding especially in low lying areas or areas prone to flooding. To account for this threat, WPC has issued a Day 2 Marginal Risk ERO for the entire area. This forecast is highly dependent on morning conditions and how quickly we can destabilize, but with what models are conveying now, SPC has maintained the Day 2 Marginal Risk for severe weather across the entire CWA. The biggest update this afternoon is an area of 2% tornado risk has been introduced for much of the Ohio counties, with the exception of far NW OH. There was also a 5% hail threat added to counties north of US-224. The primary concern remains gusty winds with any convection, but the other hazards cannot be ruled out. Best timing for severe weather will be between 4-10 PM EDT Wednesday. Showers will taper from west to east on Wednesday night as the cold front moves east. In addition, cooler air will move east behind the boundary, allowing overnight lows to fall into the low to mid 60s.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... Cyclonic SW`erly to NW`erly flow aloft and embedded shortwave disturbances affect the eastern Great Lakes and Upper OH Valley on Thursday through Friday night as a mid/upper-level low wobbles SE`ward from northwestern ON province to near Georgian Bay. At the surface, troughing lingers over/near our CWA and trough axes accompany the aforementioned shortwave disturbances. This pattern will support net low-level CAA across our region. Periods of isolated to scattered rain showers are expected due to moist isentropic ascent preceding shortwave trough axes, low-level convergence/moist ascent along attendant surface trough axes, and the presence of potential instability in the surface to roughly 850 mb layer. Daytime heating of the relatively-moist boundary layer coinciding with considerably colder air farther aloft should yield weak, yet sufficient mixed layer CAPE for isolated thunderstorm development each afternoon through early evening. The greatest potential and coverage of convection are expected each afternoon through early evening because a typical diurnal cycle in boundary layer temperatures and instability is expected. In addition, a sufficiently-cold/moist low/mid-level atmospheric column and the seeder-feeder process should support periods of lake-enhanced rain over/generally east or southeast of ~18C Lake Erie during the late evening through morning hours of Thursday into Friday and Friday into Saturday. Late afternoon highs should reach the 70`s to 80F on Thursday and the mid 60`s to lower 70`s on Friday as colder air overspreads northern OH and NW PA. Overnight lows should reach the 50`s around daybreak Friday and mainly the upper 40`s to mid 50`s around daybreak Saturday. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... Cyclonic and primarily W`erly to NW`erly flow aloft, and embedded shortwave disturbances are expected to affect our CWA during this period, but evolution of the aforementioned mid/upper-level low is uncertain. At the surface, troughing persists over/near the eastern Great Lakes and Upper OH Valley, and multiple trough axes will accompany the shortwave disturbances. This pattern at the surface and aloft will allow an unusually-cool air mass to remain entrenched across our CWA. Periods of isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected for the same reasons noted in the short- term discussion. The greatest potential and coverage of convection are expected each afternoon through early evening due to a continued typical diurnal cycle in boundary layer temperatures and instability, and self-destructive sunshine. Late evening/early morning periods of lake-enhanced rain remain possible over and generally east or southeast of Lake Erie for the same reasons noted in the short-term discussion. Daily afternoon highs should range from mainly the mid 60`s to mid 70`s. Overnight lows should range from mainly the upper 40`s to upper 50`s. && .AVIATION /06Z Wednesday THROUGH Sunday/... VFR conditions are expected to continue through the first half of TAF period. There will be 2 periods that may see scattered diminished conditions to MVFR. Visibility values will lower to MVFR overnight 08-12Z along and VCSH is possible, especially KCLE/KCAK line eastward. In the warm sector, prevailing VFR conditions expected Wednesday morning before the approach of the cold front Wednesday evening. Added SH and VCTS for western TAF sites 21z to 00z Thursday. Visibility values could be reduced at times in heavy rainfall Wednesday afternoon and evening. Winds will slowly veer from east to south 5 to 9 knots overnight, finally southwest 9 to 14 knots late Wednesday morning through the afternoon, and decrease to 5 to 10 knots Wednesday evening outside of SH and TS. Outlook...Non-VFR will be possible with scattered rain showers and isolated afternoon thunderstorms Thursday through Saturday. && .MARINE... The western flank of a ridge lingers over Lake Erie before a warm front drifts N`ward across the lake tonight through Wednesday. Variable winds around 5 to 15 knots become E`erly to SE`erly this evening and then veer to S`erly to SW`erly following the passage of the warm front. A cold front is then poised to sweep E`ward across Lake Erie Wednesday evening through Thursday morning. The cold front passage will cause S`erly to SW`erly winds around 10 to 20 knots to veer to W`erly. Behind the cold front, a trough is expected to linger over the Lake Erie region through Sunday and be accompanied by SW`erly to NW`erly winds around 10 to 20 knots. Waves are expected to be mainly 3 feet or less, but occasional 4 footers are expected, especially east of The Islands, on Thursday through this weekend. At this point, Friday and Saturday have the best potential for Small Craft Advisory conditions to develop. && .CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
-- Changed Discussion --
OH...None. PA...None. NY...None. MARINE...None.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& $$ SYNOPSIS...Saunders NEAR TERM...Campbell/FZ/Saunders SHORT TERM...Jaszka LONG TERM...Jaszka AVIATION...FZ MARINE...Jaszka