'Things really drop': Temps to fall 40 degrees from near record highs to potential frost
Temperatures will drop by more than 40 degrees this week across the northern half of Ohio.
After daytime highs forecast near a record 85 on both Tuesday and Wednesday, nighttime lows could fall into the 30s by the weekend, according to Alexa Maines, a meteorologist who works in the Cleveland office of the National Weather Service.
"After tomorrow, things really drop off," Maines said.
Wednesday's high is projected at 82, Thursday's at 77 and Friday in the upper 60s.
"Then it really tanks," Maines said. "Saturday we're in the mid to lower 50s. Sunday will be about the same."
Are the temperatures normal for this time of year?
Tuesday's record high of 85 was set at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport in 2019.
Wednesday's record high, which is also 85, was set in 1951.
The average daytime high for early October in Ohio is in the upper 60s.
"We’re going to go from well above normal to well below normal," Maines said of this week's forecast.
When will it frost in Ohio?
The weather service's official criteria for a frost is when the thermometer registers at 36 degrees, but Maines said it's possible for frost to form when the air is as warm as 38.
"We do have a couple spots that might drop to 38 Saturday night, but it will be breezy and cloudy, which will hinder frost development," Maines said.
The average first frost in North Central Ohio is Oct. 2. The earliest was Aug. 27, set in 1946. The latest was Nov. 2 in 2021.
The "Farmers' Almanac" predicts the first frost of 2023 will hit Mansfield on Oct. 15 this year.
"Our first frost could be at any point, assuming it stays chilly," Maines said. "The next week to week and a half we will be below normal for temperatures."
Will it get warm again this year?
The cold temperatures aren't necessarily here to stay, though.
Since late October and early November are considered transitional periods, warm air could hit North Central Ohio at any point.
"We'll get into periods where there's southerly flow from the Gulf of Mexico," Maines said. "We usually get a warm spell sometime in the fall."
The upcoming cold snap is only expected to last until the middle of next week.
"Beyond that, we might start warming up a little bit," Maines said.
The potential even exists for a patch of warm air to blow through Ohio as late as the holiday season.
"We've had Novembers and Decembers where it gets warm for a week and then gets cold again," Maines said. "It's definitely possible."
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Frost possible in Ohio this week as temps drop after near record highs
