CLEVELAND, Ohio – The polar vortex will invade northeast Ohio this weekend, although the cold won’t be as bitter as that National Weather Service originally forecast – At least by the end of next week.
On Saturday the highs will be in the low 20s and in early February they will be around 15 degrees below normal. The entire weekend’s lows could fall on the low teens. And on Sunday the warmest temperature can only hover in old age, said National Weather Service meteorologist Nick Greenawalt. When the wind is cold, the temperature can feel up to 1 degree cold.
AccuWeather meteorologist Nicole LoBiondo said Sunday is expected to bring the region’s coldest temperatures with a high of 19 degrees and a low of 10 degrees. LoBiondo said the AccuWeather RealFeel is forecast for Sunday noon at 4 a.m. and 8 degrees at 3 p.m. RealFeel from AccuWeather Takes into account temperature, wind, precipitation, and other factors to determine what it really feels like outside.
The Polar vortex is a collection of cold air that sits at the North Pole all year round. It expands all winter, and when the jet stream isn’t strong enough to hold it in place, cold air sweeps far south.
While the original forecast was dangerously low temperatures over the weekend, the forecast for that bitter air is next Friday and Saturday, February 12th and 13th, Greenawalt said. In between, high temperatures of 20 degrees could be average.
“Some of our forecasting models actually suggest that we might get a little warm air trying to briefly return to the region Monday through Tuesday as we have a different system that is rising in the region,” Greenawalt said.
A colder blast of air is expected mid to late next week, with lows in the single digits next weekend from Lake Erie, he said.
Connected: Remember Cleveland’s past polar vortex
With cold temperatures along the way, snow is likely to be expected after Thursday night and overnight commutes, Greenawalt said. Precipitation starts as snow and can mix with rain, but it will mostly subside by Friday morning. Greenawalt said with some cold air coming into Sunday on Saturday night, some snow might come; it could also come Monday through Tuesday.
Some areas could see an inch and areas in Geauga County could see more than 2 inches.
“We could still have isolated snow showers with lake effects tomorrow morning until tomorrow afternoon,” said Greenawalt. “But when we get there tomorrow night we’ll be mostly dry and the snow will be out of here for now.”
See how much snow you could get in the next 48 hours below:
