Cool and breezy in the wake of Ida

Taste of Fall

Northwest winds behind the remains of Ida will ensure temperatures stay cool for the next two days.

The low pressure that used to be Ida is just off the New England coast this morning and is quickly moving off to the northeast. Here in the Finger Lakes, skies cleared last evening and we are starting the day off with abundant sunshine and chilly temperatures.

Now that the sun is climbing into the morning sky, the wind will start to pick up. By mid-morning, wind speeds will be in the 10 to 15 mph range. Gusts will be 25 to 30 mph, though a few locally higher gusts will be possible.

These winds will continue to bring cool air into the region from the northwest. They will also bring in an area of slightly higher atmospheric moisture that has wrapped around Ida.

The daytime heating interacting with the cool air aloft and aided by the increasing moisture should lead to numerous clouds developing this morning. The thickest clouds will be roughly from Seneca Lake eastward, with fewer clouds the further west from there.

Temperatures will struggle even more due to the cloudiness. Areas east of Cayuga Lake will be near 65 degrees, but higher elevations may not get out of the low 60s. Further west, where the clouds will not be as thick, upper 60s are more likely with mid 60s in the higher terrain.

The daytime hours are expected to remain dry, but this evening and overnight, a few light showers or bits of drizzle will be possible.

Winds will die down this evening and the cloud cover will shift closer to Lake Ontario. Areas in the southern half of the region may even clear out, leading to temperatures falling into the 40s and low 50s. Where the clouds remain overnight, mid and upper 50s are likely.

Clouds will rapidly develop once again tomorrow morning as daytime heating again interacts with the cool air aloft. Tomorrow, the clouds should be widespread throughout the region. A few more stray showers will be possible as well.

The wind Friday will be lighter, with speeds around or just over 5 mph. The core of the chilly air will start to shift east, allowing highs to be in the mid and upper 60s with a few pockets getting to 70 degrees.

Weekend and Next Week

Winds will turn to the south and southwest Friday night and persist through the weekend. Two disturbances will pass through on Sunday and Monday.

This will leave Saturday as the pick day for the holiday weekend. Skies will be more sunny than not and no rain is expected. Highs will generally be in the mid 70s.

Some scattered showers will be about on Sunday as the first system moves through. It should not be a washout, though, with plenty of dry time as well. Some areas will probably not see any rain at all.

After morning lows in the low and mid 60s, afternoon highs on Sunday will mostly be in the mid 70s. If the rain holds off and some sun stays out for a prolonged period, some areas could push toward 80 degrees.

The chances for showers and storms are greater on Monday, but the disturbance responsible for them will be fast-moving. As such, there will really only be a window of a few hours where rain is in the area. Currently, this looks to be during the midday and early afternoon hours, but it is still a bit too far out to be certain of that.

Temperatures will probably be a touch cooler on Monday with the midday precipitation with highs mostly in the low to mid 70s.

Another system will move through the area toward the middle of next week, ensuring temperatures remain in the neighborhood of the low and mid 70s. Some slightly warmer temperatures may be possible toward next weekend, but for the most part, 70s will continue to be the most likely high temperatures.

More Information:

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