Winter in Southwest Ohio is basically a chaotic game of "guess the layer." Honestly, if you’ve lived in Dayton long enough, you know that the 42°F you see on your phone at breakfast is a total lie by lunchtime. We are currently staring down a 5 day forecast dayton ohio that looks more like a staircase into a freezer.
Buckle up. It's gonna be a weird week.
The Immediate Mess: Wednesday, January 14
Today started off "warm" at 42°F, but that’s the high point. It’s all downhill from here. We’re looking at light snow throughout the day with a 25% chance of precipitation. By the time the sun sets—which is around 5:35 PM these days—the temperature is going to crater to 18°F.
That's a 24-degree drop.
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The wind is coming out of the west at 17 mph, so that "feels like" temperature is going to be brutal. If you have errands to run at The Greene or need to hit the Oregon District, do it now. Tonight, those snow showers continue, and everything that melted this morning is going to turn into a nice sheet of Dayton black ice.
Thursday and Friday: The Deep Freeze
Thursday, January 15, is going to feel like a slap in the face. The high is only 24°F. Even with some partly sunny skies, that northwest wind at 15 mph means the air is going to bite. It’s one of those days where the sun looks pretty through the window, but the second you step outside, you regret every life choice that led you to the Midwest.
Friday brings a slight "warm-up" to 36°F, but it comes with a catch: more snow. We’ve got light snow forecasted for both day and night. The chance of snow jumps to 35% on Friday night. Honestly, it’s just enough to make the roads annoying without being enough to actually get a snow day. Classic Dayton.
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The Weekend Outlook: Saturday and Sunday
If you were planning on a hike at Glen Helen or a walk through Carillon Park, you might want to rethink the timing.
- Saturday, January 17: High of 29°F with snow showers. The wind is back up to 16 mph.
- Sunday, January 18: This is the coldest day of the stretch. We’re looking at a high of 22°F and a low of 14°F.
Sunday will be mostly cloudy during the day, but snow showers are likely to return at night. By this point in the 5 day forecast dayton ohio, we’re looking at a consistent pattern of "gray and grainy."
Living With the Dayton Drift
Most people get wrong that Ohio winters are about "big storms." They aren't. They’re about this exact kind of week—the constant, nagging 20% to 35% chance of snow that never quite stops.
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The humidity is hovering around 77% today and will drop to 44% by Sunday. That means the air is going to get very dry, very fast. Keep the lotion handy and maybe check your tire pressure. These rapid temperature swings from 42°F to 14°F are notorious for triggering those annoying "low tire" sensors.
Basically, the next five days are a masterclass in why we all own three different types of coats. You’ll need the heavy parka by Sunday, but don’t pack away the rain-resistant shell just yet.
Actionable Survival Steps
- Check your battery: Cold snaps like this are when old car batteries finally give up the ghost. If your car struggled to start this morning at 42°F, it won't start at 14°F on Sunday.
- Salt the walk tonight: Since we’re dropping from above freezing to well below it, tonight is the danger zone for ice.
- Humidifier on: Your skin will thank you when that humidity drops to 44% later this week.