Bitter cold, wind, snow, little sun expected through start of Ohio's deer gun season

y Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

With Ohio’s general firearms deer-hunting season moving into the gun-sights a look at the weather for the remainder of the archery season’s first segment is showing widespread unseasonably cold temperatures.

And for much of northern Ohio the two-week climatic forecast is including bouts of snow showers; in some locations, heavy lake—effect snow bands, too.

Likewise the weather conditions for the up-coming youth-only two-day firearms deer-hunting season along with the resumption of the North Zone waterfowl-hunting season – both on November 22 – will hardly be pleasant enough affairs.

As it now stands a Winter Weather Advisory is in place for much of Ohio as the white-tail deer rut begins to wind down. The National Weather Service is forecasting a general snowfall over the next day or two of three to six inches with some locations in extreme Northeast Ohio potentially seeing a foot or more.

Coupled with winds in excess of 20 miles per hour and temperatures that are expected to drop into the teens and archery hunters will find the going tough and uncomfortable sledding.

Not until just after the youth-only gun season is State College, Pennsylvania-based AccuWeather forecasting a return to moderating near or above average temperatures approaching 50 degrees for northern Ohio. And then the temperatures accompanied by rain instead of snow, too.

Until then northern Ohio will remain in the temperature cellar department. Highs will struggle to reach the upper 30s and on some days fail to clear the mid-20 degree department.

Lows will fall at some points to below the teens.

For the youth-only deer gun season and reboot to the North Zone waterfowl-hunting season on November 22, highs will be around 40 degrees to the mid40s at best with lows right around the freezing mark.

Thanksgiving week will start out at around the previously mentioned 50-degree mark but that somewhat pleasant temperature is forecast to be short-lived. The cold and snow is expected to return to northern Ohio with highs in the mid-30s and possibly upper 30s but no better.

The snow is forecast to resume, says AccuWeather’s frequently spot-on long-range weather forecasters.

Much of the rest of Ohio should not feel comfortable that it will escape the cold and snow, either.

Indeed, the central part of the state is forecast to experience very similar weather conditions for the remainder of the archery season’s first segment, the youth-only, two-day firearms deer-hunting season, and the general firearms deer-hunting season, which starts December 1st.

A mix of penetrating cold, chilling winds, and snow will be shuttled aside only briefly by near-average temperatures and rain with just a rare glimpse of the sun.

Even southern Ohio along the Ohio will fare little better, AccuWeather’s extended forecast says.

Maybe a few more days with rain instead of snow, a couple additional days of sunshine and somewhat less radically cold temperatures here and there is the best southern Ohio deer hunters can anticipate through the early days of the general firearms deer-hunting season.

Only for the youth deer-gun season and portions of Thanksgiving week will white-tail hunters be able to don a little less cold-preventative clothing than will their counterparts further north. But not by much.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

Jeff is the retired News-Herald reporter who  covered the earth sciences, the area's three county park systems and the outdoors for the newspaper. During his 30 years with The News-Herald Jeff was the recipient of more than 100 state, regional and national journalism awards. He also is a columnist and features writer for the Ohio Outdoor News, which is published every other week and details the outdoors happenings in the state.