Weekend Weather Forecast
Now Tropical Storm Helene is well inland over the southeastern United States after making landfall in Florida last night.
Meanwhile, high pressure has built into our region from the west and resides overhead.
Thin clouds on the edge of Helene are trying to push into the Finger Lakes, but much of the area is starting off with clear skies this morning.
Gradually, thin clouds will seep northward, thickening as they do. As such, varying amounts of sunshine are expected today at any given time across the region.
The further north, the longer skies will remain clear. The further south, the quicker the clouds become thicker.
But, despite the gradual increase in clouds, rain is not expected anywhere in the region during the daytime hours today.
Winds will be light from the east with speeds around 5 mph. Afternoon highs will be in the mid 70s for most, with low 70s in the higher elevations.
Clouds will continue to thicken overnight, and a few spits of rain cannot be ruled out during the predawn hours. Overnight lows will mostly be around 60 degrees, with mid 50s in Cortland County.
Saturday and Sunday will both be more cloudy than not, though there may be some thin spots at times to allow some filtered sunshine.
Scattered rain showers will increase, occurring in slow-moving bands that track southeast to northwest. None of the rain should be heavy, but it may linger at times for some prolonged, drizzly, showery conditions.
The remains of Helene should make it far enough north that most of the Finger Lakes region have equal chances for rain. The one exception may be the northeastern corner of the region, around Syracuse, where rain chances may be slightly lower.
Winds on Saturday will be from the southeast at 5-10 mph. Sunday’s winds will be similar, but a couple miles per hour lower.
Temperatures will stick mainly to the low 70s with a few pockets in the mid 70s on Saturday. Sunday’s highs will be around 70 degrees.
Weather Next Week
By Monday, the remains of Helene will be completely dissipated, and another area of high pressure will pass through. This high will be centered over Canada but will deliver a quiet weather day to our region.
Expect a mix of sun and clouds with dry conditions. Light southeast winds will persist. Afternoon highs will be in the low 70s, which should end up being the warmest day of the week.
The next weather maker will move into the area for Tuesday and early Wednesday. On and off periods of rain are likely on Tuesday, culminating in some widespread rain Tuesday night into early Wednesday.
Conditions should dry out as Wednesday goes on, though the fine details of the timing of the rain and whether any sun will be able to make it out are too uncertain to pinpoint at this time.
Wind speeds will pick up with this system, coming in from the south around or over 10 mph Tuesday and especially Tuesday night. Behind the associated cold front with this system Wednesday morning, blustery northwest winds will set up for Wednesday afternoon.
Temperatures on Tuesday will still be in the upper half of the 60s, but Wednesday will be notably cooler. Some higher elevations may not get out of the 50s.
Afternoon highs will stick to the 60s for the remainder of next week. Nighttime temperatures will turn cool, so we will have to monitor for any potential frost. At this time, though, temperatures generally look too warm for frost next week.
There remains a large spread of possibilities on the models from next weekend and beyond, so there is little confidence in any one particular type of weather.
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.
