Northeast Ohio gets taste of summer: Will temperatures hit 90 degrees?

CLEVELAND, Ohio — June is here and a big warmup has arrived in Northeast Ohio — but just how hot will it get before a cold front moves in?

A hazy, hot day is on tap Tuesday with temperatures climbing into the mid 80s. Sunshine will be filtered through smoke that is drifting into the region from Canadian wildfires that are burning in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

That wildfire smoke is expected to stay mostly in the upper atmosphere and will filter the sunshine through a whiteish haze in the afternoon. The potential exists for increased near-surface smoke concentration later in the afternoon and into the evening, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

Visibility isn’t expected to be impacted, though air quality in the region has already ticked up into the “moderate” range, meaning those who are unusually sensitive to particle pollution should consider reducing activity levels or shortening the amount of time spent active outdoors.

On Wednesday, temperatures will really heat up as the air is compressed ahead of a cold front that is expected to move through in the evening. Temperatures are forecast to climb into the mid to upper 80s, with Cleveland expected to fall just short of the 90-degree mark.

Unsettled weather moves in Wednesday evening

Most of Wednesday will be dry ahead of the cold front, which will help clear out any lingering wildfire smoke but could bring showers and even a rumble of thunder to the region by late in the evening. While severe weather isn’t expected, the atmosphere will be primed for periods of heavy rainfall, with high moisture levels and moderate instability. This raises the potential for localized flash flooding, particularly where storms “train,” or repeatedly pass over the same area.

The cold front is expected to drop south of the region and stall out, meaning showers and even a thunderstorm could be possible on Thursday and again on Friday.

Temperatures will be noticeably cooler behind the front, with highs reaching into the more seasonable mid 70s on Thursday and Friday.

While showers and storms could stick around into Friday night, they should die down by daybreak Saturday.

Current odds favor fair weather over the region for the weekend, with sunny skies expected both Saturday and Sunday, with high temperatures in the low to mid 70s.