611
FXUS61 KCLE 050741
AFDCLE

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Cleveland OH
241 AM EST Fri Dec 5 2025

.SYNOPSIS...
High pressure will dominate over the region today. A clipper
system and cold front will move through the area on Sunday.
High pressure will build in late Sunday night into Monday.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/...
The main message for this forecast update will be quiet weather
today with high pressure around. Another quick moving clipper
system will move through this weekend with a round of light
snow and another push of colder air.

An Arctic high pressure system is over the region this morning
with most locations away from the lakeshore in the single
digits. Interesting note to share looking at the nighttime
microphysics satellite imagery this morning, it appears that
some ice has formed on Lake Erie near Toledo in the Maumee Bay
and Sandusky Bay. The center of the high pressure will move
towards New England today. There will be a return of a light
southerly flow. There will be a mixture of sun and clouds today
with temperatures struggling to reach freezing, in the upper 20s
to lower 30s.

The overall weather pattern will continue to be a large and
broad upper level trough over the Great Lakes region and much of
the eastern CONUS heading into this weekend. It will not be as
cold tonight with overnight temperatures in the teens to lower
20s. On Saturday, a cold front will move through the Upper Great
Lakes region trailing down into the eastern Great Lakes. Ahead
of this front, there will be a slight increase in southwesterly
flow on Saturday. Some light precip in the form of light snow
will develop along and ahead of that trailing cold front across
the eastern Great Lakes on Saturday. The best chance for some
light snow on Saturday will be north and east of Cleveland into
the primary Snowbelt and into NWPA. Any snowfall will be light
from a dusting to maybe 1 inch. Temperatures will moderate on
Saturday into the lower and middle 30s.


&&

.SHORT TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/...
The next weather system to impact our region will arrive on
Sunday. A fast moving clipper system and cold front will dive
through the Midwest Saturday night and track into the Upper Ohio
Valley on Sunday. A round of light snow will be expect for all
of northern Ohio and northwest Pennyslvania with 1 to 2 inches
of snowfall possible Sunday. A push of colder air will arrive
behind this clipper system Sunday evening and overnight. There
could be a brief period Sunday evening and night of a little
lake enhancement or lake effect snow for the Snowbelt with an
additional 1 to 2 inches possible. High temperatures on Sunday
will be in the lower to middle 30s with temps slowly falling
later in the day. Another cold high pressure system will build
into the region late Sunday night through Monday night. High
temperatures on Monday will be in the middle to upper 20s.
Overnight lows will be in the teens and single digits once
again.


&&

.LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
A colder than average and active weather pattern will continue
through next week. Temperatures may rebound slightly Tuesday and
Wednesday in the 30s to around 40 degrees. A stronger shortwave
trough will dive through the northern U.S. and Upper Midwest
Tuesday night. This clipper system looks to be stronger as it
moves across the Great Lakes region on Wednesday. Higher POPs
will return areawide for light to moderate precip in the form or
light snow to a rain/snow mix and then back to snow during the
middle of next week. Too early to mention potential amounts at
this time but it looks very active and wintry for the middle and
end of next week.

&&

.AVIATION /06Z Friday THROUGH Tuesday/...
High pressure will maintain influence over the region through
the TAF period, resulting in widespread VFR conditions through
06Z Saturday. Any lingering low-end VFR ceilings are expected
to lift north over Lake Erie early this morning. A weak
shortwave moving east across the region may deliver some
3500-4000 ft AGL ceilings to portions of the area (primarily
KMFD) late this morning through this afternoon, but any non-VFR
ceilings should largely remain to the south of the local area.
Winds will generally be light and variable tonight before
becoming south/southwest and increasing to about 10 knots by
late morning.

Outlook...Periodic snow and/or rain showers with non-VFR are
expected Saturday through Tuesday.

&&

.MARINE...
Small Craft Advisory in effect for U.S. nearshore waters:
- Until 5 PM EST today from Avon Point, OH to Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH
- Until 7 PM today from Geneva-on-the-Lake to Ripley, NY

A high pressure ridge affects Lake Erie through Friday night as the
embedded high pressure center moves from near the Upper MS Valley to
Atlantic waters near Nova Scotia. NW`erly winds around 10 to 20
knots this afternoon become variable in direction and ease to around
5 to 10 knots this evening. Accordingly, waves as large as 3 to 6
feet this afternoon subside to 3 feet or less by 7 PM EST this
evening and to 2 feet or less by midnight tonight. During the
predawn hours of Friday morning through daybreak Saturday, winds are
expected to become primarily S`erly to SW`erly and freshen gradually
to around 15 to 25 knots as the aforementioned ridge exits slowly
E`ward and interacts with a trough along a cold front that will
approach from the north-central U.S. and eventually the western
Great Lakes. The S`erly to SW`erly winds should trend strongest over
the open U.S. waters. Waves should build gradually to as large as 3
to 7 feet and trend largest in open U.S. waters given forecast
fetch. A Small Craft Advisory may be needed.

On Saturday, the cold front will sweep generally SE`ward across Lake
Erie. The front`s passage will cause S`erly to SW`erly winds around
15 to 25 knots to veer to W`erly to NW`erly and ease to around 5 to
15 knots as a ridge attempts to build from the north-central U.S.
Waves as large as 3 to 7 feet ahead of the front will subside
gradually to 3 feet or less by midnight Sunday morning, behind the
front. On Sunday, the front should waver in a north-south manner in
the Lake Erie region as a low wobbles ENE`ward from the east-central
Great Plains to the northeast U.S. and strengthens slightly.
Primarily W`erly to N`erly winds should freshen gradually from
around 5 to 15 knots to as strong as 15 to 25 knots. However, winds
may shift to S`erly to SW`erly for a time over at least southern
portions of the lake, but this will depend on the progression of the
front. Waves should be 3 feet or less through Sunday afternoon and
then build to as large as 4 to 6 feet Sunday evening, which would
prompt another Small Craft Advisory.

On Monday, a ridge should build from the Upper MS Valley through
about midday. In response, NW`erly winds around 15 to 25 knots
should veer to N`erly to NE`erly and ease gradually to 5 to 10
knots. This ridge should then exit generally E`ward during the rest
of Monday and allow a warm front to sweep NE`ward across Lake Erie.
Accordingly, N`erly to NE`erly winds will veer to S`erly to SW`erly
and freshen gradually to around 10 to 20 knots. Based on the wind
and fetch forecast, waves as large as 4 to 6 feet Monday morning,
should subside to 3 feet or less for Monday afternoon and evening.

On Tuesday, S`erly to SW`erly winds should freshen further to around
20 to 30 knots as the ridge continues to exit gradually E`ward, a
deepening low moves generally E`ward across the northern Great Lakes
and vicinity, the low`s trailing cold front approaches Lake Erie
from the northwest, and the ridge and low interact with one another.
Waves should build to as large as 5 to 10 feet, with the largest
waves expected in open U.S. waters east of The Islands. Will
continue to monitor this part of the forecast for the need of a
Small Craft Advisory.

&&

.CLIMATE...
Near-record cold low temperatures are expected in portions of our
region tomorrow morning, especially farther inland from Lake
Erie. Here are the record cold low temperatures for December
5th:

Toledo: -2F (1976)
Mansfield: 1F (1957)
Cleveland: 2F (1871)
Akron: 7F (1991)
Youngstown: 9F (1991)
Erie, PA: -2F (1886)

&&

.CLE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OH...None.
PA...None.
MARINE...None.

&&

$$

SYNOPSIS...77
NEAR TERM...77
SHORT TERM...77
LONG TERM...77
AVIATION...15
MARINE...Kahn
CLIMATE...