Honestly, if you were planning on a casual Sunday stroll through Public Square tomorrow, you might want to rethink that or at least find your heaviest wool socks. The "January Thaw" we’ve been flirting with is officially taking a hike. Cleveland is about to get a very blunt reminder that it is, in fact, mid-winter on the shores of Lake Erie.
Cleveland Weather Tomorrow: The Sunday Breakdown
Sunday, January 18, 2026, is shaping up to be a bit of a shock to the system. While we’ve seen some milder numbers lately, tomorrow is when the cold front really settles its bones into Northeast Ohio.
The high for Sunday is only hitting 21°F.
That’s a far cry from the middle-30s we saw earlier in the week. And it’s not just the temperature on the thermometer; the low is plummeting down to 13°F by tomorrow night. Basically, if you leave the house, you're going to feel it instantly.
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Is it going to snow?
Sorta. We aren't looking at a massive "Snowmageddon" event for Sunday morning, but the sky is going to be busy. The forecast calls for light snow during the day with a 20% chance of precipitation. Once the sun goes down, that bumps up slightly to a 25% chance of snow showers.
Don't expect to be digging your car out of a foot of powder, but do expect those annoying, fine flakes that make the 480 or the Shoreway slicker than they look. Humidity is sitting high at 72%, which usually means the air feels "heavy" and that damp cold tends to bite right through a light jacket.
The Wind Factor on Lake Erie
The real story for Cleveland weather tomorrow isn't just the flakes; it's the wind coming off the water. We're looking at a southwest wind moving at 12 mph.
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While 12 mph doesn't sound like a gale, in 21-degree weather, it’s enough to push the wind chill values down toward the single digits or even near zero at times. Southwest winds in Cleveland are notorious for whistling between the buildings downtown, so if you're headed to a Cavs game or grabbing brunch in Tremont, that "real feel" is going to be significantly lower than the actual temp.
Why this matters for the week ahead
Tomorrow is basically the gateway to a much nastier "polar plunge" that experts at the National Weather Service are watching closely. While Sunday is cold, Monday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) is looking even more brutal. We’re talking about a prolonged period of frigid air where highs might struggle to even hit the mid-teens.
- Sunday High: 21°F
- Sunday Low: 13°F
- Daytime Sky: Light snow
- Nighttime Sky: Snow showers
- Wind: 12 mph Southwest
Practical Steps for Clevelanders Tomorrow
You've lived here long enough to know the drill, but it's easy to get complacent when the ground has been mostly clear.
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First off, check your tire pressure tonight. These sudden drops from the 30s into the teens are exactly when that "low pressure" light pops up on your dashboard. Also, if you’re one of those people who keeps their thermostat low to save a buck, maybe give it a nudge up. With a low of 13°F, pipes in older homes (and we have plenty of those in Lakewood and Cleveland Heights) start to get a bit nervous.
If you have to be outside, the UV index is a 1, which is basically non-existent. You don't need sunscreen, but you definitely need a scarf to cover your face against that 12 mph wind.
Stay warm, keep an eye on the lake-effect bands that might develop late Sunday night, and maybe just stay inside with some pierogies. That's usually the best way to handle a Cleveland Sunday in January anyway.