Stark County could see record-breaking cold Saturday

Frost isn't yet on the pumpkin, but it's sure going to feel like fall this weekend as Stark County could see a record-breaking cold temperature Saturday.

"There's a decent chance we'll tie or break the record," said Alexa Maines, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Cleveland office.

The weather service forecast for the Akron-Canton area is showing expected overnight lows of 39 degrees Friday night into Saturday and Saturday night into Sunday. But, Maines said, the temperature is expected to fall no lower than 46 degrees by midnight Friday night.

Saturday, however, it's possible that the anticipated low could even fall below 39, she said.

Weather service records, kept in this area since 1887, show that the record low for Friday's date - Sept. 18 - is 37 degrees in 1959, and for Saturday's date, 39 degrees in 1956. (The daytime highs for Friday and Saturday are expected to be in the mid to lower 60s.)

So far, no frost is expected, but Maines suggested it may be a good idea to bring plants indoors "just in case."

The area has seen frost before the first day of fall before. (Autumn begins at 9:31 a.m. Tuesday).

Weather service records show the earliest that frost - usually at 36 degrees - was recorded in this area was Sept. 14, 1902. The average first frost occurs on Oct. 7, the records show.

For those who want to hang on to warmer temps just a little longer, fear not. The forecast calls for daytime highs rising to 70 degrees on Tuesday and 75 on Wednesday, both under sunny skies.

Maines said the extended forecast shows the temperatures warm back up toward the end of them month, adding that the weather service's Climate Prediction Center "has us at a 50 percent chance of above-average temperatures." She said the average high temperature expected is about 68 degrees.

"As far as rainfall goes, we don't have any rain in the forecast through Wednesday, and in the extended outlook, we have chances of below-average precipitation," she said.

Reach Lori at 330-580-8309 or lori.steineck@cantonrep.com.

On Twitter: @lsteineckREP