Temperatures Rising
High pressure along the southeastern coast of the United States and an active storm track across southern Canada will both lead to an influx of warm air across the Finger Lakes early this week.
Temperatures are generally starting out in the 30s this morning with some isolated warm and cold pockets. A few early clouds are scooting to the east, leaving clear conditions across most of the area.
Skies will be very sunny today with just the occasional passing batch of thin clouds. These will be most likely later in the afternoon and should not do much to diminish the sunshine.
Winds will be light and variable today. A lake breeze off Lake Ontario will keep winds from the northwest across the northern half of the region, while to the south, winds will be more southerly. Wind speeds will be around or under 5 mph regionwide.
Temperatures will add 5-10 degrees onto yesterday’s highs. For the Southern Tier, this will result in mid 50s. Along the shore of Lake Ontario, however, the lake breeze will keep highs in the mid 40s. Some higher elevations in Onondaga, Cayuga, and Cortland County may also stick to the mid 40s. Most other places will be around 50 degrees.
Skies will be partly cloudy tonight into Tuesday. South winds will take over tonight and increase to around 10 mph. After an initial drop into the 30s, many places may rise back into the 40s overnight.
Temperatures will really take off on Tuesday, pushing up towards 60 degrees for many areas. Typically warmer areas in the Genesee Valley, near Rochester, and near Syracuse should easily make it into the low 60s. Even most higher elevations should be in the upper 50s.
There will be a chance for some rain showers late in the afternoon. These are not expected to be widespread or long lasting. A rumble of thunder or two cannot be ruled out.
Winds will increase further on Tuesday as well with speeds of 10-15 mph and gusts of 25-35 mph. The wind will remain from the south, but back off slightly in terms of speeds Tuesday night. Overnight lows Tuesday night may be hard pressed to drop below 50 degrees.
Active Weather, More Warmth
A potent weather system will swing through the area on Wednesday.
During the morning, south winds will increase again, and scattered showers will mix with sunny breaks. After such a warm night Tuesday, it will not be hard to get highs on Wednesday into the low 60s.
Rain chances will increase during the mid to late afternoon as a cold front marches through. A band of rain is expected, accompanied by strong wind gusts over 40 mph and probably a few claps of thunder.
As the cold front passes, winds will turn to the northwest and increase further. Gusts of 40-45 mph and locally up to 50 mph will buffet the region for a few hours Wednesday evening before slowly dwindling Wednesday night.
Cold air will quickly move in with temperatures dropping into the 40s within minutes late Wednesday. Temperatures will further fall into the 30s Wednesday evening and 20s Wednesday night, allowing snow to mix in with the rain, then take over as the primary precipitation type.
Most of the snow Wednesday night will be lake effect southeast of both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Snow showers off Lake Erie over the western Southern Tier will diminish Thursday morning, but a healthy band of snow may persist for much of Thursday off Lake Ontario. This will especially impact northern Cayuga and Onondaga counties, where several inches of snow may fall.
Elsewhere, Thursday will just be chilly and breezy with the occasional snow shower. High temperatures will be in the upper 20s and low 30s with northwest wind gusts around 40 mph.
Like the cold snap we saw on Saturday, Thursday’s cold air will also quickly vacate the area. South winds will take over Thursday night, removing any lake effect and importing warmer air into the region.
Friday will be similar to today, with a good deal of sunshine, a few passing clouds, and highs pushing all the way back into the upper 40s, at least. Warm air will continue to flood in over the weekend, with low 50s on Saturday and highs possibly back near 60 degrees by Sunday.
Warm air will likely stick around into the middle of next week before another weather system moves in and breaks up the pattern. Even behind this system, however, temperatures will remain on the warm side with highs in the 40s favored at this point in time.
More Information:
» Finger Lakes Weather Radar
» Zip Code Forecasts
» Get the FLX Weather Mobile App
This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected.
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