Much less humid weather here to stay

Watching Ida

A cold front moved through the area yesterday afternoon and is now draped west to east across the Mid-Atlantic.

With the front well to our south, dry air has set up over the region. This dry air has removed the oppressive humidity, and more importantly, will help shield most of the region from the remains of Ida.

Some thin clouds will pass through the region from time to time today on the fringe edge of the remains of Ida. These clouds will alternate with sunny periods, and even when they are in place, should still allow partial sunshine.

Northwest winds of 5-10 mph will keep the dry air in place with dewpoints throughout the day in the upper 50s. Temperatures will be a bit cooler as well, with highs generally in the mid 70s. A few pockets of upper 70s are possible as well.

This afternoon, a few stray showers may bubble up as another subtle boundary moves through. Almost all areas will stay dry, though. Those that do see a shower will only see a brief period of rain.

Clouds will thicken tonight as Ida tracks northeastward. Some sunshine may still be able to filter through the clouds early tomorrow, especially for areas further north and west.

How far into the region rain from Ida makes it is still a question, but only for the southeastern Finger Lakes. It seems likely that at least some light rain showers will make it into part of the region. The best chance for heavy rain will be in Tioga and Broome counties, but even there it is far from certain.

The cut-off between very light rain amounts and heavy rain amounts will be razor-thin as the dry air overhead and to our north is pulled closer to Ida by its circulation. As little as 25 miles may separate rain amounts of just one-tenth of an inch and two inches.

As such, areas near and south of Elmira to Ithaca to Cortland should continue to monitor the latest updates, as it would not take much of a wobble north to bring heavy rain into these areas. More likely, though, is a wobble south that would keep most areas with little to no rain.

Any rain that does fall will do so late Wednesday afternoon and especially Wednesday evening and should end before dawn Thursday morning.

New Cool Pattern

Temperatures will take another step back tomorrow thanks to the clouds from Ida, any rain, and northeast winds blowing in towards the center of circulation. Look for highs mostly in the low 70s.

Thursday will cool more as Ida passes to the east. Winds will turn to the northwest and increase. Wind speeds will be a bit over 10 mph with gusts of 25-30 mph.

Skies will be mostly sunny on Thursday, but highs will only get to about 70 degrees. Dewpoints will fall even further and should spend most of the day in the mid 40s. The dry air should help areas that are still wet from the mid-month heavy rain.

Friday will be cloudier, especially during the mid-morning to early afternoon timeframe. A few showers may even pop up during that time. Few, if any, areas will reach 70 degrees, with mid and upper 60s for highs throughout the area.

Winds will turn back to the south Friday night into Saturday. With a mix of sun and clouds, highs Saturday should jump back to the mid and upper 70s. Dewpoints will remain in the 50s, so it will not feel muggy at all.

Unsettled weather will move in for Sunday and Monday and may extend into much of next week. However, temperatures and dewpoints will remain comfortable. Daily highs will stick to the 70s and dewpoints will generally be in the 50s or low 60s.

This pattern should continue through next week and into the middle of September.

Sorry for the late post this morning, which was due to technological delays.

More Information:

» Finger Lakes Weather Radar

» Finger Lakes Weather Radar

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