Rain will develop across the Finger Lakes this afternoon as a trough of low pressure moves through.
Saturday morning has turned out dry across the Finger Lakes, but rain will gradually fill in during the afternoon hours.
Low pressure is moving through the Ohio Valley this morning on its way to the Mid-Atlantic coast. A subtle extension of this low towards the north (shown as the yellow dashed line extending from the low through Cleveland to Buffalo) connects this low to another, weaker system over southern Canada.
This extension, a trough of low pressure, is the key to our forecast today. As this trough moves east, showers should push into the Finger Lakes and become more widespread. Some areas may see steady rain throughout the afternoon, especially for the southeastern half of the Finger Lakes.
Before the rain sets in though, temperatures will push well into the 60s. A few places may even reach 70 degrees, mostly along or north of I-90.
Rain will continue into the overnight hours, focusing more on the western Finger Lakes. This area of steadier showers will work east towards dawn before falling apart by the mid morning hours Sunday.
The remainder of Sunday will be mostly cloudy, but showers should be limited to a few widely scattered showers. There is even a very small chance for a rumble of thunder over the eastern Finger Lakes late in the afternoon.
This system will pull east Sunday night, leaving the area dry and partly cloudy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. During this time, the Finger Lakes will settle into a warming trend, with 70s for highs Monday and Tuesday and pushing towards 80 degrees on Wednesday.
The Finger Lakes will then get its first taste of summer, as an extended hot and humid period unfolds for the later half of next week through the Memorial Day weekend. Highs will be well into the 80s day after day, with moderate to high levels of humidity.
Starting Thursday, conditions will be favorable for daily pop-up thunderstorms in the afternoon. While there is no specific threat at this point, should a disturbance move through one of those afternoons, more widespread and/or stronger storms could be possible. Stay tuned!
