Our active start to March has already brought multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms to the WABBLES region and I’m not sure we’re done yet before the weekend is out. However, things do look nice until we get there.
Blustery Breeziness: Friday and Friday Night
We’ve enjoyed a touch of quiet time after our midweek storm system, but Mother Nature never stays quiet for long this time of year.
Wednesday’s front cleared quite a bit of moisture out of our atmosphere, so even as a pretty strong low pressure looks to move through the Great Lakes region during our day on Friday, rain chances look rather scant.
That should allow plenty of sunshine to combine with gusty westerly winds throughout the region to help temperatures boost nicely back into the middle and upper 60s for our Friday afternoon. However, you’re going to want to hold on to your hat, your headphones, anything you might have on your head, because it will be breezy.
We could see gusts on the order of 20-25 MPH as we head through our Friday afternoon. I’d say another good day to grill, just make sure you’re not blowing smoke into your neighbor’s face!
A few clouds sneak back in during the overnight hours, but not enough to affect those lows too much. We stay not far from average, back in the lower 40s.
Tale of Two Halves: Saturday and Sunday
We talked about how Mother Nature is too quiet during the month of March, and when she is, she usually follows it up by being loud yet again. Our weekend looks like a prime example of quiet to start but active to finish.
Some transient high pressure in place on Saturday should allow for an absolutely beautiful day. Plenty of sunshine and lighter southerly winds allowing highs to surge back up into the lower 70s during the afternoon hours. I mean, I’m not sure you could do better.
However, those southerly winds are not only transporting warmer air, but also at least some hints of moisture back into the region during the daytime hours. The milder air will help lows stay quite mild on Saturday night, only falling back into the middle and upper 50s. That’s when attention turns back to our north.
Another fairly strong area of low pressure is going to try to swing by the Great Lakes yet again as we head into the Sunday and Sunday night timeframe. As it does, it will attempt to drag a cold front through the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley regions, trying to scoop up moisture along the way.
That combination of strong wind energy but potentially lackluster fuel is a common theme around these parts around this time of year. Nonetheless, we’ll have to watch for the potential for a line of strong to severe thunderstorms as we head later into Sunday evening and Sunday night.
After highs in the lower to middle 70s during the day, the back side of this cold front is going to be an absolute slap in the face.
Temperatures absolutely plummet down into the lower 30s for lows…and it only gets colder from there.
Not Quite the Chill I Had In Mind: Into Next Week
On the back side of our front, our temperatures look to struggle. Like a Pokémon that’s used all its moves.
While the rain and storms will have long departed by Monday morning, the cold air will be settling in for a spell. Even though we dry out, highs only make it into the lower 40s. Yep…back below normal.
However, the big trouble comes Monday night. With arctic air attempting to settle in and skies clearing as we head past dark, lows will crash back into the lower 20s. If you’ve planted already, first of all, why? And second of all, make sure you’ve got the proper protections in place, because we’re talking hard freeze territory overnight.
Tuesday offers a bit of improvement, but not a ton, as temperatures stay parked back below normal. But hey, at least there will be sunshine?
Well, some sunshine anyway. Highs are only back into the lower 40s during the daytime hours. Clouds building in overnight should keep lows somewhat milder than Monday night, but the arctic will still attempt to drag us down into the upper 30s.
Our break looks to continue through the middle and latter half of next week, with at least partly cloudy skies and retreating arctic air allowing highs to get back up into the middle 50s and above as we head nearer to the first day of astronomical spring.
That’s it for me for now! You can always keep up with the latest on all of our social media platforms. Have a tremendous day and a great weekend!