Air Quality Improving
There has been a slow but notable improvement in air quality over the last 48 hours across the Finger Lakes, a trend which is expected to continue.
A few days ago, the Air Quality Index (AQI), a measure of how pollutants in the air may impact health, was generally in the 140-160 range. This was straddling the classifications of Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (orange) and Unhealthy for All (red).
Since then, there has been about a daily drop of 10-20 index points each day, signaling improving air quality. Most sensors in the region this morning are between 110-130. This is still in the orange range, but a move in the right direction.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has even allowed the Air Quality Alert to expire, with their forecasts calling for a drop to the yellow Moderate zone with AQI falling below 100 today.
I am a bit less optimistic it will get that low today but feel good about our chances for that level tomorrow.
High pressure has been keeping the atmosphere stagnant this week. Light winds have not been able to move the smoke plume around, while the dynamics of the higher pressure have kept the smoke trapped near the surface.
The good news is that no new smoke has been pushed into our region, so the slow improvement we are seeing is a product of the gradual dissipation of the smoke that moved in. High pressure is also weakening, allowing the smoke to expand higher into the atmosphere, reducing the near-surface concentration.
So, even though skies will remain hazy with smoke today and even tomorrow, the prognosis is looking positive for a continued improvement in our air quality over the next couple of days.
Dry and Warm
Outside of the air quality, there is not much to discuss in the weather. High pressure, though weakening, retains a firm control on our region.
The high will also slide eastward, out over the Atlantic this weekend, allowing for warming temperatures.
Temperatures today and Friday will be similar to the last couple of days. Roughly the southern half of the region will see low 80s, while the northern half sees mid 80s. There will, of course, be localized variations that lead to warmer and cooler temperatures in select pockets.
Saturday will be a couple degrees warmer, with most areas in the mid 80s and a few upper 80s showing up in the north.
Sunday will be a bigger jump, with many areas within a couple degrees on either side of 90 degrees. Monday will nudge a little higher, while Tuesday will be similar to Sunday.
Throughout this warming period, dewpoints will remain slower to change. Most days will have dewpoints in the upper 50s to around 60 degrees, with occasional jumps into the low 60s.
This will result in a drier heat than we usually see. It is not uncommon for dewpoints to jump into the upper half of the 60s or even 70s when we start seeing temperatures near 90. Not so this time.
Our next chance for any widespread rain will come next Wednesday as a weak front passes through. Scattered showers and storms are possible but will probably not be significant enough to counteract the recent dry spell.
Temperatures will likely remain warm to hot behind that front for the end of next week with highs sticking well into the 80s. There may be some additional chances for rain as humidity levels increase, but it is too early to tell which days may see rain.
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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