QUICK WEATHER FORECAST:

• Today: Rain & storms, high 63
• Tonight: Showers tapering, low 29
• Friday: AM flurries, cold breeze, high 33
• Saturday: Mostly sunny, high 44
• Sunday: Few clouds, mild, high 52
• Monday: Few showers, breezy, high 50

FORECAST DISCUSSION:

Happy Thursday!

We have got a wet, warm, windy day ahead of us, as a strong low pressure system pushes into the Ohio Valley. For the morning, expect heavy rain during the commute hours. Higher totals will be in our far southern counties where localized flooding may occur.

Morning showers start to taper briefly around midday, when it looks like some minor instability may form. This would aid in storm activity from about mid afternoon into the evening and early nighttime hours. Our area from Columbus and SW is under a “slight” risk for severe weather, which is a 2 out of 5. The greatest threat for us will be strong gusty winds.

A couple limiting factors for that severe threat, however, will be cloud cover and rain-cooled air. That will limit destabilization of the atmosphere, which would limit the risk for severe storms this afternoon, not allowing storms to pack near as much of a punch.

Shower activity gradually tapers overnight as a cold front moves through. This may leave us with a few lingering flurries for Friday morning, then we’re left with clouds and breezy conditions for Friday, with highs only reaching the lower to middle 30s.

We start to clear up into the weekend, with sunshine and highs in the middle 40s on tap for Saturday. By Sunday, we’re looking at just a few clouds, with highs topping out in the lower 50s.

A series of systems brings us rain off and on beginning at the start of the next workweek. Temperatures, however, remain mild for this time of year.

-McKenna