from:
BRADLEY J. GILBERT, O.C.E.M.
EMA DIRECTOR
WOOD COUNTY, OHIO
People at, or hosting, outdoor activities on Friday night and Saturday should pre-plan to monitor weather conditions closely and have a plan as a precaution to seek indoor shelter should thunderstorms move into our area. There still remains a little uncertainty of the timing of thunderstorms and the exact impact areas.
A warm front will move through the area on Friday bringing scattered showers and thunderstorms (some could be strong or severe). The main area for a severe weather threat on Friday will be from the Ohio/Michigan border northwest across Michigan and into Wisconsin. Although not officially in the “Marginal” risk category for severe weather, we are close enough to that area that thunderstorms and conditions should be monitored closely in case any stronger storms make it into Ohio. The primary threats would be damaging straight-line winds, hail, frequent lightning, and heavy downpours of rain.
The bigger concern for a severe weather threat will be on Saturday as warm/moist air destabilizes the atmosphere across the Great Lakes as well as upper atmosphere dynamics that would support severe weather formation. The Storm Prediction Center has Wood County in the “Marginal” (lowest) risk category for severe weather on Saturday; however, the risk category increases to “Slight” just to our east. From Ottawa and Sandusky Counties eastward across Northeast Ohio will be the primary target for severe weather on Saturday.
Once again, we will be very close to that increased risk area (and it could be expanded in forecasts on Friday to include Wood County), so weather conditions should be monitored closely on Saturday and even into the overnight hours of Saturday.
The primary threats will be damaging straight-line winds, hail, frequent lightning, and heavy downpours of rain. Conditions will also be conducive for a derecho to form and move northwest to the southeast across the Great Lakes. As a reminder, a derecho is a large fast moving complex of severe thunderstorms with straight-line winds that can go as high as 80-90 mph (equal to EF0 tornado winds) which could cause considerable damage including widespread power outages.
Again, the threat of these conditions occurring are more likely to our east (at this time), but it is close enough to monitor weather conditions closely on Saturday and Saturday night.
The NWS Cleveland office will be providing us an update on Friday. Once that information is received and the updated information from the Storm Prediction Center arrives, we will provide another email and Facebook update to you on Friday.
BRADLEY J. GILBERT, O.C.E.M.
EMA DIRECTOR
WOOD COUNTY, OHIO
