Late Week Warm Up
High pressure overhead this morning will slide to the east, opening our region up to warmer air and some occasional clouds.
The day is getting off to a cool start with mostly clear skies and just a few passing clouds. Temperatures are mostly between 20-25 degrees, with a few pockets that have dipped into the upper 10s.
There should be a good deal of sunshine again today, though passing clouds will mix in throughout the day. There may be some brief periods where it is more cloudy than sunny, but it probably will not turn completely overcast.
With the center of high pressure overhead, winds will be nearly calm today. Simply cutting off the northerly flow of the last few days will help add several degrees onto the afternoon high. Most areas will top out in the low and mid 40s with a few eastern hills sticking near 40 degrees.
Partly cloudy skies will continue overnight. A southerly breeze will develop, helping hold nighttime temperatures up. Overnight lows will be around 30 degrees for most areas, with upper 20s across Cortland, eastern and southern Tompkins, Tioga, and eastern Chemung counties.
Thursday will be sunnier in the morning and cloudier in the afternoon. A deck of clouds high in the atmosphere will build in, turning skies overcast. Some limited sunshine may be able to filter through these clouds at times.
Despite the decrease in sunshine, an increase in southerly winds will drive temperatures upward. Wind speeds will be between 5-10 mph with afternoon highs in the upper 40s and low 50s.
Wind speeds will increase over 10 mph Thursday evening and persist through the night. The overcast should break up into partly cloudy skies after midnight. Overnight lows will only get down to the 35-40 degree range.
Friday will be warmer yet with clouds, some sunshine, and a few scattered showers dotting the area. Highs are expected to reach into the mid 50s for many areas.
The rain will be sporadic and light. Most of the time it will remain dry, and some areas will not see any rain at all.
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Reversing Course
Saturday will have a better chance for rain showers as a cold front slowly makes its way into the region. The afternoon looks rainier than the morning.
The rain is still expected to be light and only last for a relatively short period. All areas should see some rain, but no one will have a washout of a day on Saturday.
It will be a mild day with morning lows in the low and mid 40s and afternoon highs in the low 50s.
Temperatures will begin a downward trend from there as winds turn to the west Saturday night. Low temperatures Sunday morning should return to the mid 30s and afternoon highs will top out around 40 degrees.
Sunday should be cloudy, and a few spits of rain or snow cannot be ruled out. Most areas will be dry most of the time.
Monday may be able to get some sunshine out between batches of cloud cover. No precipitation is expected, with temperatures remaining near 40 degrees.
A low pressure system is expected to develop over the Mid-Atlantic on Tuesday, lifting northeast toward New England. There is a small chance this could turn into a moderate snow event for our region, but more likely is a miss to the southeast.
Regardless, this low will pull cooler air into the region with highs on Tuesday in the mid 30s at most.
Temperatures will dip a bit further for the second half of next week and will remain in the 20s and 30s for the foreseeable future. And while a random snow event is always possible when cold air is in place, the overall pattern favors continued dry weather right through the second half of February and into March.
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This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected.
