Unsettled and Breezy
A broad area of low pressure in the upper levels of the atmosphere associated with a dip in the jet stream continues to meander through the eastern United States.
Meanwhile, high pressure over eastern Canada is entrenched and doing its best to hold its position.
As a result, today will look a lot like the last two days across the Finger Lakes.
Frequent clouds and breezy south and southeast winds will be constant companions throughout the day. Some higher elevations could see gusts as high as 30 mph.
Impulses of energy rotating around the low will bring on and off chances for rain, though stray showers are possible at almost any time.
The primary window for rain today will be during the afternoon hours, with eastern areas more likely to see a period of steady rain than western areas. A few rumbles of thunder cannot be ruled out, either.
Temperatures will be highly variable today thanks to the wind pattern over our complex terrain and the distribution of rainfall this afternoon.
Mid 70s will be possible in Rochester and the Genesee Valley, with highs near or slightly above 70 extending east along and north of the Thruway.
South of the Thruway, elevation will play a large role, with upper 60s in the valleys and mid 60s in the hills. Western areas will, overall, be a couple degrees warmer than similar elevations further east.
Another round of showers and a few thunderstorms will be possible during the predawn hours tonight, continuing into early Thursday. This should be the final round as high pressure from the middle of the nation and Hurricane Helene from the Gulf of Mexico force a pattern change.
In fact, some sunshine should move into the region on Thursday, though portions of the Southern Tier may already be seeing thin clouds far out ahead of Hurricane Helene.
Temperatures on Thursday will start mild with many areas near or above 60 degrees. Afternoon highs will average out in the low 70s, though some urban and valley locations will see mid 70s and higher elevations will see upper 60s.
Winds will be lighter on Wednesday after remaining blustery tonight. Expect northwest winds around 5 mph once the rain moves out early Thursday morning.
Helene’s Influence
Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall along the Florida Panhandle Thursday evening, quickly pushing inland over Georgia before stalling out over Tennessee and Kentucky for the weekend.
Our region will be on the fringes of Helene’s influence for the late week and throughout the weekend.
Thin clouds will overspread the region Thursday Night into Friday. While these should cover the sky, they may still be thin enough to allow some sunlight to filter through. The amount of filtered sun will likely vary throughout the day.
Temperatures on Friday will mainly be in the low 70s with light winds coming in from the northeast. The clouds will hold temperatures in the mid 50s Friday night.
Saturday does not look much different, though there may be a slight chance for a stray shower over the Southern Tier. Temperatures may add a couple of degrees, especially further north, where the thickness of the clouds will vary.
Sunday may just be more of the same with continued cloud cover and varying degrees of filtered sunshine. Stray showers cannot be ruled out, especially across the south. Highs will remain in the lower half of the 70s.
On Monday, high pressure will pass across eastern Canada. This will disrupt the atmospheric flow and may open our area up to a few more showers as a result.
A strong low will be right behind the high, moving through Canada and dragging a cold front into the Finger Lakes on Tuesday. This will be our next best chance for rain, and if everything comes together perfectly, could result in some thunderstorms.
Temperatures should take a dip behind this front next week with highs in the 60s and lows possibly in the 40s.
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.
Help a Community Member!
This stunning photo of one of our summer supercells was taken by Coleen Folly in Trumansburg.
Coleen is a local business owner, a very talented photographer, and a frequent contributor to FLX Weather with great pictures and timely reports. Not only is her photography inspiring and informative, but her reports have been invaluable to me over the last several years.
Coleen entered this photo into an “America’s Favorite Photo” contest and has advanced through eight elimination rounds to be a finalist. I believe, with the support of this community, we can give her a real shot at winning the contest.
Voting ends on Friday!
I am very happy to support Coleen in this way as a thank you for all she has done for me. Please, take a couple seconds and cast a vote! Thank you!
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