Hot and humid but dry until late week showers and storms

High Pressure in Control

A large area of high pressure is spread throughout the eastern United States, bringing a welcome break to many flood-weary areas, including our own.

This high will dominate the weather today and even clouds will be hard to come by. What clouds there are will probably be limited to a few small fair weather clouds here and there and some thin cirrus clouds late in the day and tonight.

The center of the high is to our southeast across the Ohio River Valley. Clockwise flow around the high dictates northwest surface winds in our area today with speeds near or just over 5 mph.

There is not much cool air to the northwest, but the wind will put a lid on just how hot it gets today. Look for highs mostly in the mid 80s with some low 80s in the typically cooler higher elevations, especially in Central New York. It will remain humid with dewpoints in the 65 to 70 degree range.

Overnight temperatures will drop to the mid 60s as skies remain clear and winds become mostly calm. Late tonight, the wind will turn more southerly. Light south winds will continue through Wednesday.

That should give temperatures an extra boost with many areas flirting with or hitting 90 degrees tomorrow. With dewpoints remaining high, heat index values could reach the mid 90s, which may prompt the National Weather Service to issue a few Heat Advisories.

There will be more clouds tomorrow than today, but it will still be plenty sunny. An isolated late afternoon or evening storm cannot be totally ruled out. The majority of the area will stay dry, though.

Unsettled Late Week and Weekend

The chances for showers and storms will increase on Thursday as a weak disturbance moves into the area. The timing of this disturbance is trending later, so Thursday may end up rather hot as well. Afternoon showers and storms will probably prevent it from hitting 90 in most areas, but mid and upper 80s should be commonplace. Dewpoints will be oppressive in the low and mid 70s.

Light winds in the atmosphere will prevent a widespread severe threat, but a few isolated strong winds gusts or some hail may briefly accompany some of the stronger storm cells. There will probably be some areas that miss out on most of the rain.

A few lingering showers will be possible on Friday, especially in the morning and especially across southern and eastern areas. Cooler, less humid air will try to move in from the north but may not make it very far.

Winds will turn back to the south by the weekend, pushing the oppressive humidity back into the area with an increased chance for showers and storms. Highs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will all be near or just above 80.

A final day of humidity and storms will come on Monday as a more organized cold front moves into the area. This should push temperatures back into the 70s for much of next week while dewpoints retreat to the 60s.

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This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected.