Here comes the heat

Heat Wave

A hot week is ahead for the Finger Lakes with temperatures hitting 90 degrees daily for many areas.

The heat is being set up by a persistent area of high pressure over the Atlantic Ocean. Clockwise winds around the high will keep the general flow of air from the south across the Eastern United States.

That southerly flow will not quite take hold yet today with light north winds under 5 mph. That will keep our temperatures and humidity levels in the same ballpark as yesterday. Look for highs around 90 degrees for much of the region, though numerous places will end up in the low 90s.

Temperatures will drop into the mid and upper 60s tonight with a few places remaining around 70 degrees. South winds around 5 mph will develop tomorrow, increasing the temperatures and humidity.

Most places should be at or above 90 degrees tomorrow. The northern half of the region in particular will see low and even mid 90s. Dewpoints will increase into the mid 60s, making the heat index a few degrees higher than the actual temperature.

Heat Advisories have already been issued for much of the region for Tuesday, and several more heat advisories, or even warnings, should be expected for the rest of the week.

Wednesday will see more mid 90s than Tuesday, while Thursday sees more than Wednesday. A few upper 90s will be possible Thursday and into Friday, mostly along the I-90 corridor. Even Saturday may manage to get into the low 90s, depending on the timing of the front that will break our heat.

Morning lows throughout the week will be within a couple degrees on either side of 70, with the northern half of the region generally at or above 70 with upper 60s across the Southern Tier.

Despite the duration and intensity of the heat, most days will not challenge record highs, with some of the historically hottest days in our climate record having occurred on these dates.

What About Rain?

There will not be much in the broader weather pattern to trigger widespread rain this week, but there will be some localized chances for rain and storms.

Today, the best chance for a few pop-up afternoon storms will be across the southern half of the region. Any storms that pop will have a chance for lightning, heavy rain, gusty winds, and small hail.

Tuesday’s rain chances will spread across most of the region, but the south and east in particular will have the best shot for rain. Like today, anything the develops tomorrow will be widely scattered, so most areas will not see any rain.

Wednesday’s rain chances will probably stay across the southern and eastern areas. Few if any showers are expected on Thursday and Friday.

Each day’s activity will fire up in the early afternoon and quickly dissipate in the early evening. For the areas that do see rain, especially later in the afternoon, some fog may develop come evening.

Outside of any showers, mornings will be sunny and clear, while afternoons will have a mix of sun and fair-weather clouds.

There will be a better chance for some rain by the weekend as a cold front moves through, but that system will probably have little impact on our overall rainfall deficit.