Jennifer Edwards Baker reports:
We will enjoy near-record highs today and Saturday as a warm burst of air from the south swarms Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, along with some heavy rain.
Our high temperature will soar to 66 degrees – just one degree shy of the record high, set more than 120 years ago on this date in 1890, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
The normal high this time of year is about 30 degrees colder.
Bands of rain began blanketing downtown Cincinnati overnight. They will continue this morning and be accompanied at times with rumbles of thunder.
Severe weather is not expected, said meteorologist Andy Latto. The downpours could be heavy at times. Up to three-quarters of an inch could fall total today.
The overnight low will only fall to 54 degrees. It will be partly cloudy.
The clouds will stick around Saturday and more rain will develop after 2 p.m. This system will bring heavy downpours at times, possibly up to 2 inches of rain by midnight, Latto said. The mercury will again push into the 60s, topping out at 64 degrees by 5 p.m. The record is 71, again set in 1890.
The overnight low will be 50.
A big change in the forecast will come Sunday as winter returns. A mass of cold air from the northern plains will slowly move into our region. More rain will fall as the high temperature only moves up a few degrees to 52.
The rain will continue into Sunday night and could briefly switch over to snow showers or possibly a wintry mix of rain and snow after 1 a.m. Monday. The low temperature will plunge to 32.
The wintry mix could fall again Monday afternoon by 3 p.m. before switching back into just rain. It will be partly sunny but cold with the high only reaching 38.
It will be mostly cloudy Monday night with a low of 31.
The mercury the rest of next week will remain normal for this time in the winter season. Daytime highs will hover in the upper 30s with overnight lows in the 20s. It looks dry through at least Thursday.
