The mercury in northwest Ohio’s thermometers spiked yet again Friday, climbing all the way to a record-setting 71 degrees in Toledo before thunderstorms hit the region.
This capped a weeklong stretch of unseasonably warm weather across the region, which came to an end Friday night. The temperature rose to a record-breaking 67 last Saturday, and Sunday’s high of 65 tied the previous mark. Thursday’s high of 68 broke another record.
“It’s very unusual to be this warm in February,” said Jay Berschback, chief meteorologist at WTVG-TV, Channel 13. “We have seen in the past these drastic ups and downs, but to start off this warm and fall is the unusual part.”
The temperature matched the daytime high for only two previous February days — Feb. 11, 1999, and Feb. 26, 2000, according to the website of the National Weather Service in Cleveland
The previous record for Feb. 24 was 61, set in 2000.
A heavy band of thunderstorms rolled across southeast Michigan around 3 p.m. Friday, bringing heavy rain and high winds to parts of Hillsdale and Lenawee counties.
By evening, much of northwest Ohio and all of southeast Michigan were placed under a severe thunderstorm watch through early today.
Another band of storms traversed the eastern edge of the region after sundown. Later, another band of storms crossed the northwestern-most corner of Ohio, and the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of Defiance, Williams, and Fulton counties. There were no immediate reports of injury or damage.
According to the weather service in Cleveland, temperatures will normalize this weekend. The high for today is set at 38 with winds gusting to 40 mph.
Mr. Berschback said the wind chill will make it feel like it’s in the teens Saturday, a massive drop-off in 24 hours. He also said snow flurries are likely.
“It’s going to be a little bit shocking to people’s systems,” he said.
Sunday’s predicted high of 40 will be met with partly sunny skies and calmer winds.
Snow flurries are possible early Monday morning and likely turning to rain later in the day. The chance for precipitation is 60 percent for Monday and Tuesday.
High temperatures are expected to be in the upper 40s to low 50s all week.
“Not quite as extreme as this week,” Mr. Berschback said. “Still about 10 degrees above average, but no record-high temperatures next week.”
Contact Jay Skebba at: jskebba@theblade.com, 419-376-9414, or on Twitter @JaySkebbaBlade.
First Published February 25, 2017, 5:00 a.m.