Blustery start to Northeast Ohio’s week, with wintry mix possible Tuesday

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Northeast Ohio starts the week cold and blustery on Monday before a wintry mix moves in Tuesday morning, bringing a brief round of snow, sleet and cold rain to the region.

High pressure will quickly build Monday over the Ohio Valley, offering a mostly dry setup. Skies will turn mostly sunny west of Cleveland with lake-effect clouds hanging on to the east.

Highs will range from the upper 30s to low 40s near the lakeshore and in the snowbelt to the low to mid 40s south and west of Cleveland.

Northwest winds of 14 to 16 mph, with gusts up to 26 mph, will make it feel about 5 to 10 degrees colder at times.

Temperatures will fall back into the mid to upper 20s overnight Monday as clouds increase ahead of the next system.

Wintry mix Tuesday morning

A fast-moving area of low pressure will slide through the Ohio Valley Tuesday, spreading a shield of mixed precipitation into Northeast Ohio around daybreak and during the morning commute.

Most spots will begin with light snow or a rain-snow mix, with a brief window for sleet farther south closer to Akron.

Any frozen precipitation is expected to be minor, accumulating a trace to a few tenths of an inch, at most. A few slick spots could be possible where this mix is persistent, especially in the snowbelt where the air will be the coldest.

As temperatures rise into the upper 30s and low 40s by midday, the mix is expected to change over to plain rain. Cold, damp weather will continue through the afternoon before showers taper off in the evening.

Dry midweek, rain returns late week

High pressure builds back across the Great Lakes Tuesday night into Wednesday, leading to a dry but seasonably cool day. Highs Wednesday will reach the mid to upper 40s with lingering clouds.

Another system is expected to approach from the Mississippi Valley late Thursday, bringing rain chances back to the region. Forecast confidence drops late in the week as the weather pattern turns more active, but temperatures are expected to stay mild enough to prevent any frozen precipitation.

Highs Thursday will climb into the low and mid 50s.

More rain chances this weekend

Looking ahead to the weekend, another system may track near the Ohio Valley Friday into Saturday, bringing additional rain chances — especially south of Cleveland toward Akron.

Confidence remains low on the exact track and timing, but temperatures should stay in the upper 40s to low 50s, keeping the precipitation all rain.

Sunday currently looks like the better chance for a dry day.