Windy & wet early start to the weekend for Columbus area

QUICK WEATHER FORECAST:

• Tonight: Windy, rising temps, rain later, low 45
• Saturday: Morning cold front, clearing, windy, falling temps, high 54 (pm high 44)
• Sunday: Partly cloudy, high 41
• Monday: Clouds increase, high 47
• Tuesday: Rainy, breezy, high 51

FORECAST DISCUSSION:

Good Friday Evening,

Temps climbed back above normal today, even with a good deal of clouds. Temps will initially fall tonight to the middle 40s only, and then start to rise as the cold front nears and the winds pick up. Temps will be back in the lower 50s by midnight with winds starting to really kick up.

A WIND ADVISORY is in effect for our northern counties (counties along US-36 and north) starting at 10pm and extending til late morning-early afternoon on Saturday. Wind gusts in this area could peak at 50+mph. Expect rain showers overnight tonight with temps rising to the low to mid 50s by daybreak on Saturday.

The cold front will push through quickly Saturday morning, and by mid morning the rain and front will be in the east. This will progressively bring colder, drier, brighter weather with winds relaxing by later in the day. Temps will fall to the lower 40s by noon, and in the middle 30s by sunset.

Saturday night will be chilly with some clouds returning and lows falling to the lower 20s to upper teens. Expect a mix of sun and clouds on Sunday with highs only in the lower 40s, but with little to no wind. Monday clouds will increase with highs back into the upper 40s. Rain will move in overnight and into Tuesday.

This will usher in warmer air into the lower 50s ahead of our next cold front with rain showers and windy conditions again on Tuesday. The front will push through, but not blast by, so temps will not drop huge for Wednesday as the coldest air will not be pulled into the area.

Temps on Wednesday and Thursday will remain in the middle to upper 40s, with a chance of showers, but not a washout either day expected. Basically a couple of ugly, but seasonal December days. It does appear the cooler air will slowly move in by the end of the week, which could lead to some scattered snow flurries by Friday morning with temps Friday close to 40 for a high.

-Dave