Cooler air settles in and sticks around

finger lakes weather forecast wednesday october 8 2025 cumulus clouds mix with blue sky over an early autumn forest of greenish gold with a field of goldenrod in the foreground
The core of the cool air will come on Thursday with afternoon highs only in the 50s and widespread frost and locally killing freeze conditions at night. [Photo by Meteorologist Drew Montreuil]

Late Week Weather

Rain and much of the cloud cover associated with a strong cold front have moved well east of the region this morning.

A cool northwesterly flow is setting up behind the front with winds expected to increase through the morning hours. Winds will peak around 15 mph this afternoon with a few gusts around 30 mph.

As cool air pools into the region, the increasing sunshine this morning will trigger fair weather clouds and perhaps a couple spits of rain from the late morning through the afternoon.

Afternoon highs will be around 60 degrees on average, with higher elevations in the 50s and typically warmer valley and urban locations above 60 degrees.

Tonight, skies will be partly cloudy during the evening and eventually turn mostly clear overnight. Northerly winds will persist at speeds up to 10 mph.

Temperatures will drop into the 35-40 degree range for most areas, though right along Lake Ontario will stay above 40 degrees.

The wind may prevent some frost formation in open areas, but more sheltered locations and the colder pockets will likely see frost. It is best to protect any vegetation you want to save regardless of the wind, as conditions may vary on a scale of mere feet depending on terrain, trees, bushes, buildings, etc.

North winds of 5-10 mph will continue throughout most of Thursday before turning calm around sunset.

Skies will be mostly sunny, but temperatures will be even cooler. Many areas will end up with highs in the mid 50s and some higher elevations may struggle to get beyond 50 degrees.

High pressure will pass overhead Thursday night with clear skies and calm winds until a light southerly breeze kicks in by the predawn hours.

Temperatures are expected to drop into the 30-35 degree range regionwide with a few isolated pockets possibly slipping into the upper 20s. The southerly breeze toward dawn may stall out the dropping temperatures, but it will already be frosty.

This will likely end the growing season for at least parts of the area, meaning the National Weather Service will not issue additional frost and freeze alerts for those areas this season.

South winds will increase to near 10 mph on Friday as the high pressure moves off the coast of New England. Temperatures will rise back into the low 60s for most.

Friday will generally be sunny, but a small disturbance will move into the Upper Great Lakes and may spread a few clouds our way late in the day.

finger lakes weather 7-day forecast wed oct 8 | wed, sun, clouds, a shower near 60 | thur, mostly sunny mid 50 | fri, sun, some late clouds low 60 | sat, sun and clouds a shower? mid 60 | sun, maybe a few showers? mid 60 | mon, am clouds pm sun mid 60 | tues, mostly sunny mid 60
This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected. Click to enlarge.

Uncertain Weather Ahead

Most weather models show that small disturbance dissipating before it can bring any rain to our area. Still, a stray shower over the western half of the region cannot be totally ruled out early Saturday morning.

Saturday will start with temperatures ranging from the mid 30s to the low 40s. A few frosty pockets will be possible in the Southern Tier.

Sun will mix with clouds throughout Saturday, though the ratio of sun to clouds is still uncertain. Highs should be a few degrees warmer than Friday, averaging out in the mid 60s.

A coastal low will develop along the southeast coast of the United States by the weekend and will try to move northward. High pressure will ultimately block its progress, but the small disturbance that will end up dissipating may provide enough of a gap between high pressure systems to allow some showers to sneak into our area toward Sunday.

There is a small chance for more substantial rain, but at least an equal if not greater chance it stays completely dry.

Another high pressure system should pass through during the early part of the week, holding temperatures in the 60s with some sun. The coastal low will move back to the south during this time, but we may not be done with it.

Toward the middle and end of the week, as high pressure moves out over the Atlantic, this low may move back northward. In fact, this low may hang around for an extended period of time, eventually working its way into eastern Canada.

This has the potential to lead to an extended cool, showery pattern starting late next week, but the uncertainty is extremely high at this time. Stay tuned.

More Information:

» Finger Lakes Weather Radar

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finger lakes weather 7-day forecast wed oct 8 | wed, sun, clouds, a shower near 60 | thur, mostly sunny mid 50 | fri, sun, some late clouds low 60 | sat, sun and clouds a shower? mid 60 | sun, maybe a few showers? mid 60 | mon, am clouds pm sun mid 60 | tues, mostly sunny mid 60
This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected.

Follow Meteorologist Drew Montreuil:
Meteorologist Drew Montreuil has been forecasting the weather in the Finger Lakes region since 2006 and has degrees in meteorology from SUNY Oswego (B.S. with Honors) and Cornell (M.S.). Drew and his wife have four young boys. When not working or playing with the boys, he is probably out for a run through the countryside.

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