916 FXUS61 KCLE 250002 AFDCLEArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Cleveland OH 802 PM EDT Wed Sep 24 2025
.SYNOPSIS... A surface low pressure system will move northeastward through tonight into eastern Canada. The upper level trough is currently over the Great Lakes region and will be slowly moving eastward through Friday. High pressure will build in for the weekend with a weak cold front moving through Sunday. Early next week, high pressure will build in north of the Great Lakes.
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.NEAR TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/...
8:02 PM EDT Update...
Most of the forecast remains valid per latest trends in obs and model guidance. However, now expect nocturnal cooling amidst cloud breaks, abundant low-level moisture, and weak or calm surface winds to promote widespread fog formation, especially between midnight tonight and shortly after daybreak Thursday morning. Fog is then expected to dissipate by mid or late morning on Thursday as diurnal convective mixing of the boundary layer occurs. The sensible weather forecast was updated accordingly. Please see discussion below for further details.
Previous Discussion from 3:14 PM EDT...
Upper level troughing is currently centered over the Great Lakes region and eastern Ontario and extend down into the mid Mississippi Valley and central Great Plains. This feature will be slowly moving eastward through Thursday night and into Friday as ridging starts to build into central CONUS.
Currently, there is a broad area of precipitation across eastern Ohio into Pennsylvania that has been slowly progressing eastward. Generally there has been light rain with totals around 0.25", though within some of the more persistent and heavier areas of rain, totals have been around 0.50-0.75". Expectation is that this trend will continue, though the majority of the rainfall has already occured. A line of showers is starting to form along, and just east of the I-75 corridor and will be progressing eastward through the evening. This has shown higher returns than the showers to the east, so expect heavier rainfall and isolated convection, but within a short timeframe. Will need to keep an eye out for potential localized flooding, though the risk is low at this time.
As the surface low pressure moves off to the northeast, PoPs will decrease from west to east tonight through Thursday morning. Another shortwave will be moving along the broader, upper level trough during the day Thursday, but with the trough moved to the east slightly, PoPs will be highest east of the I-71 corridor. Those PoPs will decrease Thursday afternoon into the evening as the upper level features progress to the east, with some lingering lake enhanced showers possible late Thursday night.
Temperatures tonight will stay mild in the low 60s with Thursday seeing similar highs to today in the low to mid 70s and overnight lows dropping into the mid 50s.
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.SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... High pressure will build in briefly during the short term with quiet weather expected. There will be an upper level low stationed over east-central CONUS, that will keep some cloud cover over the eastern portion of the region, but should stay dry as all of the precipitation stays to the southeast. High temperatures for Friday and Saturday will be in the 70s with overnight lows down into the 50s.
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.LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... On Sunday, upper level troughing will move across the northern Great Lakes and extend a surface cold front down through the region. Though, precipitation is not expected with the front as it passes through. High pressure will build in behind to start the week and no precipitation is expected for the remainder of the long term. Temperatures will follow a similar trend to the short term and highs will be in the 70s and overnight lows in the 50s.
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.AVIATION /00Z Thursday THROUGH Monday/... Aloft, a trough axis drifts from near Lake Michigan and the Lower MO Valley to near central Lake Erie and the Mid OH Valley by 00Z/Fri. Cyclonic SW`erly to W`erly flow ahead of the trough axis becomes NW`erly behind the trough axis. At the surface, the trough axis extended SW`ward across central Lake Erie and NW OH at 23:40Z/Wed. This trough axis will drift E`ward and should exit the rest of our region between 15Z/Thurs and 18Z/Thurs. Our regional surface winds trend variable in direction and around 5 knots in magnitude through ~15Z/Thurs. Thereafter, primarily WNW`erly to NW`erly surface winds around 5 to 10 knots are expected through 00Z/Fri.
Isolated to scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected along and ahead of the surface trough axis, especially through 04Z/Thurs and after 14Z/Thurs. Brief MVFR to IFR are possible with showers and storms. Widespread low clouds with ceilings varying between 5kft and 1kft AGL are expected through 04Z/Thurs. Thereafter, widespread ceilings are expected to vary between about 1kft AGL and the LIFR range before rising to the MVFR range after ~14Z/Thurs. These low ceilings should then give way to scattered to broken cumuli with bases near 4kft AGL by ~16Z/Thurs. Cumuli are expected to dissipate with nocturnal cooling between 21Z/Thurs and 00Z/Fri.
Nocturnal cooling amidst abundant low-level moisture and weak surface winds is expected to promote the development of widespread fog with variable density in northern OH and NW PA, especially after 04Z/Thurs. Visibility will vary between MVFR and LIFR in fog. The fog is expected to dissipate with diurnal convective mixing of the boundary layer between ~12Z/Thurs and ~15Z/Thurs.
Outlook...Non-VFR possible with isolated rain showers and patchy fog Thursday night through about daybreak Friday, especially in the eastern two-thirds of our region. Scattered rain showers with non-VFR possible this Monday afternoon through evening.
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.MARINE... Light and variable winds this evening and tonight become onshore 10- 15kts Thursday as low pressure moves northeast of Lake Erie. Waves less than a foot will become 1-3ft Thursday, and then 1-2ft Friday in onshore winds weakening to 5-10kts. Back to light and variable Saturday and Sunday with waves less than 2ft with weak high pressure in the region.
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.CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...None. PA...None. MARINE...None.
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SYNOPSIS...23 NEAR TERM...Jaszka/23 SHORT TERM...23 LONG TERM...23 AVIATION...Jaszka MARINE...26
NWS CLE Office Area Forecast Discussion