CLEVELAND, Ohio — Damaging winds, large hail and even a few isolated tornadoes will be possible late Thursday night into early Friday morning, when strong to severe thunderstorms sweep through Northeast Ohio.
A line of storms will initially develop west of the region, first moving east-southeast through Michigan, Illinois and Indiana before entering western Ohio Thursday night.
Timing of the storms will depend on your location. They’re expected to move into the Interstate 75 corridor around Toledo between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., North-Central Ohio between 10 p.m. and midnight, and Northeast Ohio between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.
Conditions Thursday will be conducive for storm development as warm, humid air builds into the region from the south and lingers into the evening. Daytime highs will reach the upper 70s to low 80s. With overnight temperatures staying mild, the atmosphere won’t have much time to cool down.
Other contributing factors include rising dew points into the mid to upper 60s and increasing wind shear, which is when there are changes in wind speed and direction with height.
As a result of the threat, the Storm Prediction Center has placed most of Ohio under a Level 2 out of 5 “slight risk” for severe weather. The line of storms could bring damaging wind gusts of 60 mph or higher, very heavy downpours and quarter-sized hail. There also is a risk that an isolated tornado or two could spin up within the storms.
Since the line of storms will move into Northeast Ohio during the overnight hours, it’s important to be weather aware and have multiple ways to receive severe weather warnings even while you’re sleeping.
Another round of thunderstorms Friday evening
While Thursday night’s storms are expected to quickly exit Northeast Ohio by the Friday morning commute, another round of strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible in the evening as low pressure lifts across the Ohio Valley.
Ahead of these storms, warm and humid air will build back into the area, pushing afternoon highs on Friday into the mid to upper 80s.
The storms are expected to move in from the southwest sometime after sunset on Friday. While the greatest severe weather risk currently lies to the southwest parts of the state, that threat could expand into Northern Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania.
The Storm Prediction Center has placed Northeast Ohio under a Level 1 “marginal risk” for severe weather Friday. A broader portion of the state, including Columbus, is under a Level 2 “slight risk,” while the southwest corner faces a Level 3 “enhanced risk.”
Turning cooler this weekend and next week
The weather in Northeast Ohio is expected to turn cooler behind a cold front that will move through on Saturday. Temperatures will be noticeably cooler, with the high temperature only in the 60s by Sunday.
A drier pattern is expected to settle into the region next week, with sunny and cooler temperatures expected through Tuesday. Highs to start the workweek will be in the low to mid 60s, with humidity levels expected to be quite comfortable.