Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY

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802 FXUS61 KBUF 220752 AFDBUF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Buffalo NY 352 AM EDT Sun Sep 22 2024 .SYNOPSIS... A narrow ridge of high pressure will bring a dry day for most areas, with a mix of clouds and sunshine through yet another warm day. A cold front will near the region late tonight and Monday, bringing showers and an isolated rumble of thunder to again primarily Western New York. As a warm front lifts across the region Tuesday night and Wednesday more widespread rain showers will fall upon the entire region. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
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This early morning clearing skies and light winds are allowing for areas of fog and low stratus to develop, including the traditionally foggier areas of the Southern Tier, but also portions of the Niagara Frontier. Fog may be locally dense in the river valleys through around 8-10 am. Morning fog and low stratus will erode, and contract back towards Lake Ontario by mid morning, leaving a mix of sun and clouds for the rest of the day with dry weather prevailing as a narrow ridge builds across the eastern Great Lakes. A southeast flow through the day will meet developing lake breeze boundaries, with perhaps a spot shower for inland areas of Western New York. However most areas should remain dry through the day. Temperatures will remain above normal with most highs in the mid 70s to around 80. Dry through the evening and much of the overnight hours. It will remain warm with a light southerly flow ahead of a cold front that will approach from the west. As moisture increases aloft, and a shortwave trough reaches WNY, clusters of light showers ahead of this cold front will move into far western locations late tonight.
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&& .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...
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Monday, a mid level shortwave and associated surface trough will move east across the eastern Great Lakes, weakening with time and eastern extent. Showers will have spread into much of Western NY from the Genesee Valley westward by daybreak Monday with the arrival of deeper moisture and forcing. The showers will then spread east through the day, reaching Central NY and the eastern Lake Ontario region by afternoon. The coverage and intensity of showers will likely diminish with eastern extent as forcing weakens. Meanwhile across Western NY, expect some dry time to develop Monday afternoon in the wake of this first trough as a mid level dry slot moves into the area. Monday night, the initial mid level and surface trough will continue to weaken and wash out over Central NY and the eastern Lake Ontario region as it moves into a persistent ridge and subsidence over the northeast US. An area of mid level dry air will move into the eastern Great Lakes, supporting a temporary lull in rain. Low level moisture will persist, so a few isolated light showers cannot be ruled out, but expect it to be rain free much of the time Monday night. Tuesday through Tuesday night, a northern stream trough will dig into the Upper Midwest, carving out a deep longwave trough over the upper Mississippi Valley and western Great Lakes. The digging upstream trough and associated downstream flow adjustments will force a southern stream shortwave and a substantial area of deep moisture to move northeast from the Ohio Valley into the eastern Great Lakes later Tuesday through Tuesday night. Tuesday may start mainly dry in Western NY, but rain chances will then increase through the day as deep moisture and forcing increase with the approach of the southern stream shortwave. Farther east, expect dry time to last longer through the day Tuesday, with rain arriving in the eastern Lake Ontario region later in the afternoon or evening. Rain will be widespread Tuesday night as the best forcing and deepest moisture cross the region. There could be some isolated thunder later Tuesday through Tuesday night with limited instability, but expect coverage to remain sparse. Temperatures will trend downward through the first half of the week with persistent clouds, showers, and a somewhat cooler airmass. Highs Monday and Tuesday will be in the lower 70s for lower elevations and 60s for higher terrain, but it will be cooler than that during periods of rainfall.
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&& .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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A deep longwave trough over eastern North America on Wednesday will advance slowly east to the eastern seaboard through the end of the week. While this general large scale pattern is well agreed upon in model and ensemble guidance, the smaller scale details have shown considerable run to run differences, especially in the handling of a potential closed low over the south central US late in the week. For our area, the slow eastward progress of the longwave trough will keep unsettled weather in the forecast with a good chance of rain showers Wednesday through at least Thursday. The finer scale synoptic details that are quite uncertain at this point will determine how widespread the rain will be on these days. The rain chances will gradually taper off from west to east Friday through Saturday as the trough moves slowly east, and the plume of deeper moisture moves to along, and eventually off the east coast. Temperatures will continue to run cooler than the past few weeks. Highs most days will be in the lower 70s for lower elevations and 60s for higher terrain, but it will be cooler than these values during periods of rain.
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&& .AVIATION /08Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... For the 06Z TAFS the concern will be the formation and location of fog through the first 6-9 hours of the TAF cycle. Expect fog in the traditionally Southern Tier tonight, but also NW NYS, including KIAG where low level moisture with clearing skies should allow for fog and low stratus. This fog or low stratus will near KBUF from the north but struggle to pass over the airfield with slightly drier airmass overhead...due to a lack of recent rainfall. Otherwise for the Genesee Valley and east of Lake Ontario mainly VFR flight conditions today. Light winds today will become more southeasterly this evening and overnight. This, along with increasing clouds aloft will limit fog formation tonight. Ahead of a cold front a few showers may near the three far western TAF sites late tonight. Outlook... Monday through Thursday...VFR/MVFR with chance to likely showers and a chance of thunderstorms at times. && .MARINE...
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A weak ridge of high pressure will maintain light winds and low wave heights on the Lakes today. There may be a little fog over the western Lake Ontario waters through the morning and early afternoon hours. Tonight winds will become southeasterly ahead of a cold front. These southeast winds will approach 20 knots over the offshore waters of eastern Lake Ontario...with waves around four to five feet rolling into the Canadian waters. This cold front will stall just to the west of the Lower Great Lakes, with a south to southeast flow maintained over the Lake waters through Wednesday. Eventually this cold front will push eastward, with winds veering to a westerly flow Wednesday night and Thursday.
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&& .BUF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NY...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Thomas NEAR TERM...Thomas SHORT TERM...Hitchcock LONG TERM...Hitchcock AVIATION...Thomas MARINE...Thomas