Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY

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222 FXUS61 KBUF 300217 AFDBUF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Buffalo NY 1017 PM EDT Wed May 29 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Clouds will gradually clear tonight as a cold front exits the area. High pressure will then settle over the Great Lakes Thursday through Friday before drifting to the east coast this weekend. This will bring an extended period of dry weather, with cool temperatures giving way to warming by the weekend. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THURSDAY EVENING/...
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A mid level circulation moving east across southern PA will continue to push some mid/high clouds north across Western and Central NY through the first half of tonight, but in general expect a gradual clearing trend from north to south overnight. Ongoing weak cold advection and clearing skies will allow temperatures to drop back into the 40s away from the immediate lakeshores overnight, with a few upper 30s readings possible in the typically cooler sheltered Southern Tier valleys and North Country. There will be some patchy river valley fog across the Southern Tier overnight. Thursday, high pressure will build through the central Great Lakes, with associated dry air and subsidence bringing sunshine to the region. Expect some diurnal cumulus to develop late morning through the afternoon given the cool air aloft, but dry air entrainment from the overall dry airmass will likely keep these scattered in nature. Temperatures will continue to run a little below average, with highs in the mid to upper 60s for lower elevations and lower 60s for higher terrain.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 PM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... Fantastic stretch of weather on the way as we cap off the month of May and transition into June this period. To start, deep positively tilted troughing over the Northeast will slide towards and away from the East Coast Thursday night into Friday morning. In its immediate wake, stout high pressure ridging at all levels will build across the central Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. A cool airmass lagging behind the trough axis (850H temps around 5C) combined with increasing subsidence drying will lead to a rather chilly night for portions of the area. While lows will range in the 40s for most areas, temps will likely dip into the upper and possibly mid 30s across the interior Southern Tier, as well as up across the Tug Hill and Western Adirondacks. Not out of the question some patchy frost develops in these areas as well. Fair, dry, and warmer weather will then be the story Friday through Saturday as the high pressure ridge crests over and eventually east of the Great Lakes. Friday will feature mostly sunny skies, though there could be some mid/high clouds encroaching on the western horizon Saturday as a warm front moves into the region. Highs Friday will be in the upper 60s to low 70s, with more of a range of 70s across the region Saturday. Low humidity can be expected both days as there should be decent mixing of the dry low level airmass. Two weakly couples shortwaves, one across northern Ontario Province and another down across the Ohio Valley, will translate eastward in tandem Saturday night. This system will further weaken as it runs up against the ridge of high pressure over the Northeast, though a diffuse cold frontal boundary will likely reach Western NY late Saturday night. Shower chances with this feature remain low (15-25%) as there remains some uncertainty in the exact timing, the depth of the moisture ahead of the boundary and how much the southern shortwave weakens before arriving. This being said, areas from the Genesee Valley eastward are still nigh on guaranteed another rain- free night, albeit under cloudier skies. Temps Saturday night will be notably warmer compared to the previous nights in the 50s to low 60s across the area. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... High pressure ridging will remain anchored off the Southeast Coast through the first half of the week as several low pressure disturbances take aim at the eastern Great Lakes. This will lead to a period of weather punctuated by warming temperatures to above normal readings, as well as on and off chances for showers and thunderstorms. The first of these low pressure waves will be in the process of weakening as it crosses through western NY and Pennsylvania as we open the period Sunday. While the bulk of the day is expected to be rain-free, showers and potentially a few thunderstorms will be possible across the region as it moves through, especially across the Southern Tier and western Finger Lakes. Mainly dry weather across the region Sunday night through Monday night as upper level ridging is briefly reestablished over the eastern Great Lakes, though a few additional showers may develop across the Southern Tier. The overall longwave pattern across the eastern CONUS becomes fairly uncertain moving into Tuesday, though deeper GOMEX based moisture is expected to begin advecting into the region ahead of several upper level disturbances moving through the otherwise zonal flow aloft. This will lead to more widespread chances for wet weather Tuesday and Wednesday, though the finer details remain uncertain at this time. In contrast to the precipitation chances, confidence is much higher in temperatures averaging above normal as we move further into the first week of June. While temps Sunday should still range in the 70s, readings in the 80s will become increasingly common through Wednesday, while overnight lows warm each night well into the 60s. && .AVIATION /02Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
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Mid/high clouds gradually clearing overnight with VFR prevailing in most areas. Expect some patchy river valley fog and local IFR across the Southern Tier overnight through early Thursday morning. Some of this may briefly impact KJHW around sunrise Thursday. Once the early morning patchy fog dissipates, VFR will prevail for the rest of Thursday with nothing more than scattered diurnal cumulus as high pressure builds into the Great Lakes. Outlook... Friday through Saturday...VFR. Sunday...Mainly VFR with a slight chance for showers. Monday...Mainly VFR with a slight chance for a shower across the Southern Tier.
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&& .MARINE... Light northerly flow will bring some modest chop to the lakes through tonight into Thursday. Winds will back to westerly later Thursday...and then eventually become light and variable Friday into the weekend as the surface high crests over the Lakes. && .BUF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NY...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Hitchcock NEAR TERM...AR/Hitchcock SHORT TERM...PP LONG TERM...PP AVIATION...Hitchcock MARINE...AR