“The cold earth slept below; Above the cold sky shone; And all around, with a chilling sound; From caves of ice and fields of snow; The breath of night like death did flow beneath the sinking moon. ” — From “The Cold Earth Slept Below” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822)
MANSFIELD — Weather forecasters like to paint weather stories with words, just as English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (above) did years before his tragic drowning death during a storm at the tender age of 29 aboard his new boat, Don Juan.
Strong storm system. Rain. Rivers rising. Gusty winds. Accumulating snowfall. Arctic airmass. Sub-zero windchills.
A veritable potpourri of crappy winter weather. But hopefully not “the breath of night like death,” as Shelley described.
At least that’s how the National Weather Service office in Cleveland describes the something wicked coming our way in north central Ohio over the next several days.
You know it’s important when Richland County EMA Director Rebecca Owens fires up the email blasts and includes the point that warming shelter details are being firmed up.
Keep in mind that’s weather in Ohio. If you don’t like it, stick around a few minutes and it will change.
For those keeping score at home, this one is called Winter Storm Gerri.
But here is what we know (or at least suspect as of Thursday afternoon):
A strong system will roll into the area Friday and into the weekend.
It will likely start as rain with an additional half-inch to an inch, leading to additional rises on area rivers and streams. There is a wind advisory in effect from Friday at 4 p.m. to Sunday at 1 a.m.
Strong, gusty winds up to 50 mph are also possible Friday night into Saturday as a strong cold front arrives.
That rain will change to snow behind the front. Accumulating snowfall is likely across the snowbelt region of northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania. North central Ohio is not expected to see heavy snow … maybe an inch or two total.
But … and it’s a chilly but:
An arctic airmass will move in behind the system for the start of next week with sub zero wind chills possible Monday night into Tuesday.
Here are the projected high and low temps Sunday, Monday and Tuesday:
Sunday — 14 and 6
Monday — 14 and 7
Tuesday — 11 and 0
With 10 to 20 mph winds, we will have the dreaded below-zero windchills that keep meteorologists awake at night in their beds.
Keep in mind wind chill temperatures reflect how cold people and animals feel when outside. Wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold.
As the wind increases, it draws heat from the body, driving down skin temperature and eventually the internal body temperature.
Therefore, the wind makes it feel much colder. If the temperature is 0°F and the wind is blowing at 15 mph, the wind chill is -19°F. At this wind chill temperature, exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes.
So wear a coat, gloves and a warm hat if you head outside when the arctic airmass comes roaring into Ohio.
For now, it’s winter in Ohio. Relax and enjoy the roller coaster ride. We will keep you updated as we move along.
