Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY

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364 FXUS61 KBUF 251823 AFDBUF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Buffalo NY 223 PM EDT Tue Jun 25 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Warm and humid conditions today will last into Wednesday, along with increasing chances of showers and some thunderstorms, especially on Wednesday. Cooler and less humid conditions expected Thursday and Friday. Active weather returns Saturday as a cold front crosses the region. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING/... Surface ridge will continue to exit off to the east this afternoon. Southerly flow should pick up this afternoon with wind gusts up to 30 mph possible across western New York. A warm frontal segment is advertised to cross the region which may introduce a shower or an isolated thunderstorm. Continuing to watch as dying upstream MCS makes its way eastward. Latest CAMs trying to hold onto some of this convection as it shifts into western New York after 18z. Would expect that if some of this convection does manage to hold together it will be in a much weaker state. Otherwise, highs today will be mainly in the lower 80s, with the warmer spots in the mid to upper 80s. A cold front drops south into the region tonight with additional chances for some showers or a isolated thunderstorm. The best chances will again be found again across the North Country closer to the support from the upper-level jet. Overnight low temperatures should fall back into the 60s. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... On Wednesday low pressure over northern Quebec and Labrador will gradually pivot its trailing cold front southeastward across our area. During the morning and very early afternoon hours...this feature should be largely starved for much in the way of support...and thus will probably only produce some scattered showers and perhaps a couple of thunderstorms as it makes its way roughly to/ just south of the I-90 corridor. After that time...a wave of low pressure will ripple northeastward along the boundary and slow its southward progress through the balance of the day...while also providing a notable uptick in moisture and large-scale ascent. This should translate into showers and some storms becoming more numerous to widespread across the Southern Tier and interior of the Finger Lakes Region during the afternoon and early evening hours...while more scattered pcpn should be found further north along the northern periphery of the passing wave. Given continued uncertainty in the timing/positioning of the frontal boundary...the amount of available instability during this more active portion of Wednesday remains rather questionable at this time. This being said...if sufficient instability is realized can see at least a lower-end risk for an isolated stronger storm or two across the Southern Tier given the presence of sufficient shear...which lines up well with the Marginal Risk for severe storms advertised by SPC in the latest Day 2 Convective Outlook. With PWATs also temporarily surging to around 1.5 inches...there will also be at least some threat for heavy rainfall with any storms...with this risk again greatest across the western Southern Tier which will lie closest to the track of the passing wave. With respect to temperatures...these should range from the mid 70s to lower 80s...with humid conditions out ahead of the front becoming somewhat less so following the passage of the boundary. Wednesday night a shortwave trough will slide across our region while escorting the initial wavy cold frontal boundary and any deeper moisture/attendant threat for heavier rain off to our south and east...resulting in a commensurate northwest-to-southeast decrease in pcpn potential. In its wake...a much weaker and moisture- starved secondary cold front will slide across our area later Wednesday night and early Thursday...while possibly bringing a few more widely scattered showers to the North Country and far eastern Finger Lakes. Yet another shortwave will then dive across Southern Ontario and Saint Lawrence Valley Thursday afternoon and evening... and this in tandem with some weak diurnally-driven instability could lead to a yet few more widely scattered showers across the North Country. Otherwise generally dry and uneventful weather will predominate across our region from the second half of Wednesday night through Thursday...though the influx of cooler air and developing upslope flow behind the passing fronts will probably lead to at least some lower clouds hanging around into Thursday morning. As for temps...the incoming cooler/drier airmass will bring about much more comfortable conditions for Wednesday night and Thursday... with lows Wednesday night generally between 55 and 60...and highs on Thursday mostly ranging from the upper 60s across the higher terrain to the lower 70s elsewhere. Expansive Canadian high pressure will then build directly across our area Thursday night...then will drift east into New England on Friday. This will provide us with fair dry weather to close out the work week. Excellent conditions for radiational cooling will allow lows to settle into the mid-upper 40s across the interior Southern Tier/North Country and to the lower-mid 50s elsewhere Thursday night...with a developing southerly return flow on the backside of the departing ridge then allowing highs to recover to the mid 70s across the North Country and the upper 70s-lower 80s elsewhere on Friday. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
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A well defined shortwave trough will cross the Great Lakes Saturday, deepening an area of surface low pressure that will advance from the northern Great Lakes through southern Quebec Saturday. A deep southerly flow ahead of this trough will advance moisture northward, increasing PWATs to nearly 2 inches across the eastern Great Lakes region. Showers and thunderstorms are expected to form Saturday and continue through the evening hours of Saturday before a cold front crosses the region from west to east late. The timing of the cold front, cloud cover holding instability back to around 750 J/KG or less and poor mid level lapse rates under 6 C/KM are not favorable for strong to severe storms. However, 0-6 km bulk wind shear values 35 to 45 kts could aid in strength to the storm if any taller storms can develop. Behind the cold front a much drier airmass will settle upon the eastern Great Lakes. We`ll still have to contend with a few showers Sunday with the passage of the upper level trough, but drier air and eventually cooler airmass (mid single digit Celsius 850 hPa temperatures) will bring a cool night Sunday night with lows in the mid 40s to mid 50s. Fair weather Monday, with comfortable dewpoints in the 40s and 50s with high pressure nearby. Tuesday a return southerly flow along with the approach of a shortwave from the west may trigger a few showers or thunderstorms.
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&& .AVIATION /19Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Mainly VFR expected to remain across all area terminals today. South to southwest winds pick up today across far western terminals to include KBUF, KIAG, and KJHW. Winds up to 30 knots will be possible. There is also the chance of some showers as remnants of the upstream MCS crosses the region. With it...ceilings will begin to lower, with some MVFR Cigs by this evening. Tonight...a mix of VFR/MVFR Cigs will be found across most area terminals. Lower Cigs (IFR) may materialize across the S. Tier to include KJHW, along with some patchy fog producing lower vsbys. Outlook... Wednesday...MVFR/VFR with a chance for showers most area terminals. Showers and a chance of thunderstorm across the Southern Tier. Thursday and Friday...Mainly VFR. Saturday...Localized restrictions with shower likely and a chance of thunderstorms. && .MARINE... A south to southwest wind flow picks up across Lake Erie and the western end of Lake Ontario today. Waves will be offshore, but a period of Small Craft conditions will develop this afternoon into the evening. SCAs remain in effect for Lake Erie beginning at 16Z though 03Z this evening. There will also be a chance of some showers, this as a pair of fronts cross the region through tonight. Winds will also remain elevated on area lakes tonight producing light to moderate chop on both lakes. Lighter winds and wave action is expected Wednesday but there may be better coverage of shower and storm for Lake Erie. && .BUF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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NY...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for LEZ020. Small Craft Advisory until 11 PM EDT this evening for LEZ040-041.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...AR/TMA NEAR TERM...AR/TMA SHORT TERM...JJR LONG TERM...Thomas AVIATION...AR/TMA MARINE...AR/TMA