Rain, snow, wind on the way for Northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Northeast Ohio is staring down an active stretch of December weather, with several rounds of rain, snow and strong winds expected to sweep through the region this week.

Before the mess arrives, Monday offers a quiet but frigid calm before the storms. High pressure over the Great Lakes will keep conditions mostly dry, though temperatures will lag well below normal and be stuck in the 20s with wind chills in the teens.

Overnight lows will fall into the teens and even upper single digits, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

Snow showers could return as early as Tuesday as a weak clipper system slips by to the north and sends a warm front across the region. Any accumulation looks minimal, but it’s the opening act for a stronger system arriving Tuesday night into Wednesday.

Midweek storm: Rain and snow, with wind

The midweek storm will start as snow before warmer air is pulled into Northeast Ohio and changes over to rain for most of the area by Wednesday morning.

Rain will continue throughout the afternoon as temperatures rise to near 40 degrees. A strong low-level jet could push wind gusts to 40 to 45 mph, creating a wet and windy day across the region.

A cold front trailing the system will sweep through later Wednesday, flipping rain back to snow and setting up lake-effect chances into Wednesday night and Thursday. Light accumulations are possible across the region, with a better shot at 1 to 2 inches in the primary snowbelt east of Cleveland.

Snow may linger into Thursday, especially in the snowbelt where lake-enhanced bands could persist, before high pressure briefly returns Thursday night.

Another round of snow possible Friday

Forecast models show another low-pressure system sliding through the Great Lakes on Friday, bringing a fresh chance for widespread light snow and reinforcing the cold air already in place.

While snowfall amounts remain uncertain, it marks the start of another potentially messy stretch heading into the weekend.

Lake-effect machine may kick back on this weekend

Behind Friday’s system, colder air spilling over Lake Erie may reignite lake-effect snow Saturday and Sunday. The exact placement and intensity of the bands are still uncertain — models vary widely — but traditional snowbelt areas east of Cleveland have the best shot at accumulating snow.

Forecasters say some clues even hint at the potential for more significant lake-effect totals, if the colder pattern sets in.

Temperatures will stay below normal through the weekend, keeping the wintry pattern firmly in place as December continues.