Trick Or Treat

Saturday evening should be mainly dry and cool.  Winds should decrease during the day Saturday, and should be SW 5-15 mph during the evening.

Temps at 6 pm should be around 50, then fall into the lower 40s by 10 pm.

100% Chance of Boo

Friday Storm - updated

We should have some showers at times today, especially west...but we will have many dry hours today as well.

The cold front will move through tonight, and rain chances will increase greatly as the evening progresses and into the overnight.  Some thunderstorms are likely.  Rainfall amounts may total between 1/2 and 1 inch.

Winds will really pick up as the storm approaches.  Some gusts near 35 mph are possible today, tonight and the first half of Saturday.

Cooler air will ease into the area Saturday morning, and afternoon highs will only be in the low/mid 50s.  Sunday's highs will remain in the lower 50s.

Friday Storm

A storm system will track through our area Friday into early Saturday.  It will allow very mild temps to stay in the area until Saturday morning.

This storm will produce occasional rain and storms Friday through Saturday morning.  There will be many dry hours during this period, but the occasional rain will be heavy at times.

An analysis of many computer models over the last few days shows there is potential for over an inch of rain with this system.  Rainfall estimates have been as low as 1/2 inch, and as high as 2".

A cold front will pass through the area Friday night, and some hours of heavy rainfall look likely between midnight and daybreak Saturday.

By the way...this same storm has already produced some accumulations in the Rockies of 1 to 3 **feet** of snow, with additional snow falling today.  Snow will spread into part of the Plains, with western Nebraska and the Dakotas seeing a significant snowfall of 6 to 12".

That threat for snow will move well north of our area, so it will be just rain for us.  Colder air will, however, move into the region over the weekend and take highs back down into the lower 50s.

October Turns Around

This month has featured below normal highs the majority of the month.  Highs were below normal the first 18 days of the month.

However, 6 out of the last 7 days have had above normal highs, and that warm trend will continue this week and finish out the month.

Normal high for this point of the month is in the upper 50s.

Perrysburg Wind Damage Friday

About a dozen power poles were snapped and several trees were down due to a downburst Friday evening.  It happened at around 7:30 pm in Perrysburg near Roachton and Shelder roads.

A downburst is a localized blast of wind that rushes down from a cloud, hits the ground, and then spreads out horizontally.  Downbursts (aka straight-line winds) can be further classified into macrobursts and microbursts.

Macrobursts affect an area greater than 2 1/2 miles, and can produce winds up to 135 mph.  Microbursts affect an area less than 2 1/2 miles, but wind speeds can get as high as 170 mph.

These types of winds can create significant damage in a straight, or linear, pattern.  (Whereas a tornado's damage is more circular in nature).

Straight line winds are also quite dangerous for pilots, who experience rapid wind speed and change in direction.

 



Storm report courtesy NWS Cleveland.  Diagram courtesy NOAA/NWS.

Rain Stats

Rainfall from overnight and today will total over an inch in many locations.  This will add to the surplus we have already achieved this month.

Toledo Express Airport's rain stats prior to the start of the rain last evening:

October:    2.62"    (surplus of 0.99")

2009:      33.00"   (surplus of 5.93")

The week ends wet

A storm that is currently in the southern Plains will track into the area on Friday.  This storm is tapping into moisture from the remnants of Rick -- a hurricane near Baja California which has weakened to a tropical storm in western Mexico.

Current computer models suggest the potential for 1" of rain or more depending on the exact storm track.  The clouds, rain and winds off the lake (48° water) will keep Friday cool.

Autumn Warmth

Highs on Tuesday hit the mid & upper 60s, making it the warmest high in 22 days.  Temps today should touch or break 70° in most locations.

Since we've had quite a cool October, here's a look back on some of our warmer days:

67°  -  October 20

72°  -  September 27

80°  -  September 23

Warming Up

Highs today will reach the lower 60s -- marking the first time with a normal high in 22 days.

On Wednesday, it looks like we will hit/break 70°, and that hasn't happened since Sept. 27 when it hit 72°.

Coldest Since April !

Normal High:  61°         Normal Low:  31°          Record Low:  17° - 1976

A nice-warm up is on the way this week, with highs even jumping above normal a few days.  Monday marks the first normal high in 3 weeks.

This warm-up follows lows this morning in the 20s -- the coldest temps since mid-April.

 

Here are the coldest previous temps for Toledo Express:

27°    April 12

24°    March 21

23°    March 20

20°    March 14

Very Cold Morning

 

Here are some lows from across the region today.  All areas away from the lake fell below freezing, and most lows were below 30°.

24°    Defiance, Lima

25°    Adrian

26°    Findlay

27°    Hillsdale,  Monroe

28°    Metcalf Field

Cool Trend Continues

It looks like this pattern of below normal days will continue the rest of the week.  Daytime highs have been below normal since September 28th. (September 27 had a high of 72°).

By the time temps jump next Monday, we may string together 21-straight days of below normal highs.

The normal high has been dropping since late September, and is now 63°.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELISSA!

Today is the birthday of the wonderful Melissa Voetsch !

We celebrated this event on our 9 am Your Day program with a cake the size of Texas.

Feel free to send a birthday greeting to Mel at mvoestch@wtol.com

Tornado Drill

Some communities are participating in the "Great Escape" drill this evening.  Tornado sirens will go off around 7 pm. The purpose for the drill is for families to practice what to do during a tornado warning.

This Week

Our normal high is now 67°, and many of the days this week will be below normal.  Although we will see a warm spike or two during the week, we forsee a significant change this weekend.

A blast of Canadian air will keep highs only in the low/mid 50s this weekend.

Cool Weather Hangs Around

While we won't be seeing any frost this weekend, high temperatures will run about 8 to 10 degrees below normal.  The storm system which brought the heavy rain last night and early this morning will stay over the Great Lakes, keeping cool air in place, and scattered showers.

Temps will improve a bit early next week, but that will be short-lived as another front brings cooler air for the second half of the week.

Normal highs and lows for this time of October are 69° and 47° respectively.

Some rainy hours

A storm system will move through our region tonight into Friday, bringing some steady rain with it.

Rain should develop (west to east) this evening, and pick up in intensity late tonight through Friday morning's rush hour.

Steadier rain should begin to taper by midday, and the afternoon will feature many dry hours and even breaks in the clouds.  As of this writing, the dry period looks like it could last through the Friday night football games.

More showers will work back into the area Friday night into Saturday.  That rainfall will be a bit more scattered and light.

Computer model rainfall estimates have all come in near or over 1/2 inch.  Many of the models are producing 1"+ totals across northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

October Almanac

Normal  High  /  Low:

Oct 1            69°  /  47°

Oct 31        55° /  37°

 

Records:  92° High, 15° Low

 

Normal Precipitation:     2.35"

 

Times Of     Sunrise / Sunset:

Oct 1            7:32 am / 7:17 pm

Oct 31       8:06 am / 6:31 pm

80 Minutes of Daylight Lost  (We switch the clocks back an hour on Sunday, November 1)