Ohio wakes up Sunday under a Freeze Warning that covers the whole state until 9 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. The warnings from the weather service offices in Wilmington, Cleveland and Pittsburgh call for sub-freezing temperatures as low as 30 degrees, with the upper 20s possible in parts of east central Ohio. Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops and other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing, the weather service warns. Once the warning expires, the day flips completely: sunshine takes over statewide, with afternoon highs climbing into the low to middle 60s under clear skies.
In the northwest, Toledo starts the morning in the middle 30s under the freeze warning, then turns sunny with a high in the low to middle 60s and southwest winds around 9 mph. Findlay, Tiffin and the far northwest counties see the same pattern — a frosty start, a bright afternoon and clear skies into the evening. Travel conditions stay quiet and dry all day.
Cleveland, Akron and the northeast share the freeze warning until 9 a.m., with lows as low as 30 in north central and northeast Ohio away from Lake Erie. Sunday then turns sunny along the lakeshore, with Cleveland reaching the low to middle 60s on a south wind. Columbus and central Ohio see widespread frost before 9 a.m., then a sunny day with a high around 60 and a light east wind of 3 to 7 mph, the weather service says.
In the southwest, Cincinnati and Dayton both turn clear and sunny after the cold start, with highs in the middle 60s in Cincinnati and the low 60s in Dayton. The southeast follows the same script: Athens starts cold, with morning temperatures in the upper 30s, then turns sunny with a high near 61. Sheltered valleys in the southeast and east central Ohio are among the coldest spots early Sunday, where the upper 20s are most likely.
Tonight stays clear across Ohio, but it will not be as cold as Saturday night. Lows settle into the upper 30s to low 40s in most areas — around 36 in Columbus, around 40 in Toledo and the low 40s along Lake Erie in Cleveland. Monday then brings another sunny day statewide, with highs warming into the upper 60s, reaching near 70 in Columbus and the upper 60s in Toledo, while Cleveland tops out in the middle 60s.
The week ahead looks quiet, dry and gradually milder. Tuesday through Friday are forecast sunny to partly cloudy across Ohio, with highs in the middle 60s to around 70 in the south and the middle 60s in the north, and no rain in the forecast. For this morning, the weather service advises taking steps to protect tender plants from the cold; after 9 a.m., the freeze threat is done for the day, and Ohio gets a bright, calm fall Sunday.
