Cool with a Few Showers
Temperatures will take a small step backward today before embarking on a steady climb that will eventually reverse our weather pattern.
Skies are clear this morning, but a small area of low pressure is poised to the northeast over northern New England. At the same time, strong high pressure is digging in across the Midwest.
Between these two systems, blustery northwest winds will develop across the Finger Lakes today. Sustained wind speeds will be 10-15 mph and gusts will be between 30-40 mph.
The wind will bring in a bubble of cooler air, resulting in highs only reaching the upper 40s and low 50s today.
Clouds will start to bubble up this morning and a few isolated showers will form this afternoon. These showers are most likely in a belt between I-90 in the north and the southern ends of the actual Finger Lakes to the south.
A rumble of thunder and some very small hail are not out of the question with these showers.
Tonight, additional showers will drop south into the area. These will be most common near or just after midnight. A little wet snow may mix in, but with little to no accumulation.
Frost will be less common tonight with the clouds, which should hold temperatures mostly in the mid and upper 30s. A few pockets of frost will still be possible in the typically colder areas, especially in the western Southern Tier.
Making Gains
Temperatures will start to rise on Wednesday and will continue to do so through the weekend and into next week.
Wednesday will see highs in the mid and upper 50s. Sunshine will mix with fair weather clouds during the heating of the day with clear skies overnight.
Despite the clear nighttime skies, a steady west wind at around 5 mph will help keep temperatures from falling too far. Most areas should start Thursday closer to 40.
Thursday will then turn out similar to Wednesday, with sunshine mixing with fair weather clouds during the late morning and afternoon. High temperatures will break into the low 60s for most areas, with just the highest elevations sticking to the upper 50s. A few mid 60s may even show up along I-90.
Scattered showers will return to the forecast for Friday and Saturday. Neither day looks overly wet, and some areas will likely escape rain on both days. The showers will generally be short lived. Temperatures both days should make it into the mid 60s.
The rain chances will drop for Sunday, though they may not completely disappear. Temperatures will add a couple more degrees, making it into the upper 60s.
Highs should reach the 70s by Monday and may be flirting with 80 degrees by Wednesday. Temperatures should remain near or above average throughout next week and beyond.
During this time, rain will be less common as well, though once temperatures start reaching well into the 70s, pop-up showers and thunderstorms will start to become a possibility to consider.
More Information:
» Finger Lakes Weather Radar
» Zip Code Forecasts
This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected. 
Jim Sullivan
Are you thinking that we’re are headed into a dry season like we saw last summer. Or to early to tell?
Meteorologist Drew Montreuil
There really isn’t any way to tell. One stalled out front, for example, can turn droughts into floods in a matter of days (see July 1935), or a tropical system or two can do the same (Aug-Sept. 2011). Summertime precipitation is often so dependent on thunderstorm development that making long-range guesses are very unreliable.