Needed Rainfall
Steady rain moved through the Finger Lakes during the overnight hours with areas of lingering showers still hanging around.
Data from the NY Mesonet shows most areas across the Finger Lakes receiving a half to one and a half inches of rain, with a high spot of over 2 inches in Cincinnatus, Cortland County. Parts of the western Southern Tier, as predicted, have seen less than a half inch, though.
Scattered showers will persist today, gradually becoming fewer through the afternoon. The shower chances will be greatest the further east you go. To the west, there may even be some sun that pokes out this afternoon.
Winds will be variable across the region as low pressure moves overhead. Wind speeds may be slightly over 10 mph at times, especially this morning.
Temperatures will be cool, with low and mid 70s mainly contained to areas along I-86 west of Elmira and the I-390 corridor through the Genesee Valley. Temperatures will drop off with eastward extent, with upper 60s to about Seneca Lake and mid 60s east of there.
Cloudy skies and a few spits of rain will be possible overnight with lows in the mid and upper 50s. Even Thursday morning may have a few lingering showers before some sunshine starts to show back up during the afternoon hours.
Winds Thursday will be from the northeast, influenced by Hurricane Erin off the Mid-Atlantic coast. Wind speeds will be under 10 mph.
Most areas will be between 70-75 degrees on Thursday, with the warmest temperatures along and north of I-90. A few higher elevations may end up just short of 70 degrees.
As I mentioned yesterday, the data cutoff for the weekly drought report from the US Drought Monitor is Tuesday at 8 AM. The report is published on Thursday mornings, but the rain we are receiving will not show up until next week’s report.
While there is no doubt today’s rain is helpful, we will likely need several such events to bring our hydrology back in line.
Late Week and Weekend Weather
Quiet weather and warming temperatures will build in for a couple of days behind our current weather system until another cold front arrives.
Friday will be like many of our recent days, starting off with sunny skies and then having small fair-weather clouds developing.
Temperatures will start out cool with lows down into the 50s, but afternoon highs will end up around 80 degrees. A light northerly wind will blow, which will end up becoming calm by sunset.
Saturday will have southerly winds with speeds of 5-10 mph. This will lead to a warmer day, with lows in the upper 50s and low 60s and highs in the mid 80s.
No rain is expected, though there may be more and larger fair weather clouds compared to Friday.
The next front will arrive on Sunday with scattered showers and thunderstorms. The timing and strength of the storms remains uncertain at this point, so just be sure to continue to monitor the forecast if you have outdoor plans that day.
Temperatures will likely be cooler on Sunday, with highs in the mid 70s.
Scattered showers will be possible on Monday as well, limiting highs to the mid 70s at most.
A few showers may even linger into Tuesday. Morning lows will be cool in the upper 40s and low 50s, and afternoon highs will struggle to get beyond 70 degrees.
As a whole, temperatures will remain reduced through the Labor Day Weekend, with little chance for afternoon highs to reach 80 degrees.
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.
John and Sue Gregoire
Very dry here, We had 0.43 and hoping for much more.