Still Hot, But Not Extreme
A hot and humid air mass remains in place over the Finger Lakes, but the extreme heat has been pushed out of the region.
Morning temperatures remain uncomfortable with most areas starting in the 70s once again.
A new area of high pressure is building in from the west. This has disrupted the flow of hot and humid air from the southwest.
In fact, the light, north winds ahead of the high pressure should push the worst of the humidity south into Pennsylvania. Instead of unbearable dewpoints in the 70s, the mugginess will be knocked down a notch with 60s for dew points.
Temperatures, too, will be knocked down a notch. Most areas will see upper or mid 80s today. While still plenty warm, the decrease in both temperature and dewpoint will be a relief.
The Finger Lakes should stay dry today with any showers and storms staying south and east of the region.
It should be a nice evening for fireworks, including in Ithaca. Look for partly cloudy skies and temperatures retreating through the 70s.
4th of July Weather Forecast
The temperatures for the 4th of July are a bit uncertain thanks to the chance for some clouds and scattered thunderstorms.
Areas further north have the best shot at pushing back into the low or even mid 90s, while areas further south may stick in the 80s.
The chance for a shower or thunderstorm on Wednesday will originate across the Southern Tier during the midday hours before drifting north into the rest of the Finger Lakes during the afternoon.
Many areas will probably not see rain on Wednesday. The storms that do form will be relatively small in size but may be slow moving. Severe weather and significant flash flooding are not expected.
Any precipitation should quickly dissipate as the sun starts to set. The evening hours, therefore, should be mostly dry.
More Storms Thursday into Friday
Like Wednesday, the chances for rain will slowly migrate across the region on Thursday.
Early in the day, scattered showers and storms will develop over Western New York. These storms will again be slow moving and will drift eastward during the afternoon.
Severe weather and flash flooding are again not expected.
Temperatures again are a bit fuzzy and will depend on the rain and clouds, but upper 80s and low 90s seem most likely.
After the threat of rain initially diminishes in the evening, more rain and thunder will move in overnight ahead of a cold front. Showers and thunderstorms should persist into Friday morning.
Currently, it looks as though the rain will then move out for the afternoon with clearing skies.
A fresh northwest breeze will blow behind the front with very comfortable afternoon temperatures in the mid 70s.
The weekend looks dry with more 70s for Saturday before low 80s return for Sunday.
