Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY

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700 FXUS61 KBUF 070751 AFDBUF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Buffalo NY 351 AM EDT Fri Jun 7 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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A cooler and less humid airmass will be in place through early next week. Unfortunately, the cooler conditions will be accompanied by unsettled conditions with fairly frequent showers. Warmer weather will return later next week.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
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Water vapor imagery shows a well defined area of low pressure over the Great Lakes region this morning. Regional radar shows little weather across the forecast area as of 4 AM, however increasing moisture from the west will bring a low chance of showers to the region through daybreak. An anomalously deep mid-level low will move from Georgian Bay to southern Quebec today through tonight. Cool, moist air will filter into the eastern Great Lakes region resulting in a unsettled and cool period. Daytime heating with cool air aloft will result in cumulus/strato cumulus and eventually showers to develop by late morning across much of the region. A southwest flow will create lake shadows immediately downwind of the Lakes with drier conditions across the Northtowns and northern Tug Hill region through the morning hours. The flow will become westerly this afternoon and drier conditions will move south into the Southtowns/Western Southern Tier and across the Tug Hill through the afternoon. Scattered to numerous showers will be ongoing outside of these areas. A few thunderstorms can`t be ruled out with steepening lapse rates through the afternoon. Hi-res guidance is keying in on steady showers along a convergence zone from the Northtowns to Batavia through late afternoon. Rainfall amounts will range severely across the region today. Higher amounts of 0.25-0.5 inches are possible from the Niagara Frontier to Rochester with less than 0.10 inches along the Lake Erie and Lake Ontario shorelines. Breezy today with wind gusts up to 30 mph across western NY and the northern Tug Hill region. Showers and any thunderstorms will slowly lessen in coverage this evening. Looking aloft, temperatures at 850mb will be around +5C tonight and based on KBUF sounding climatology this is near the 10th percentile for June 8. In other words, a pretty chilly airmass for this time of year in western and north central NY. The loss of daytime heating will suppress the coverage of showers, however lake enhanced rain showers will keep showers east of the Lakes with an uptick in showers east of Lake Ontario late tonight.
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&& .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/...
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The unsettled pattern will continue through the weekend as a longwave trough remains established across eastern North America. A multitude of shortwaves will move through the mean northwest flow aloft, which each bringing a period of enhanced ascent and deeper moisture. The timing of these features is starting to become more clear in model guidance for the weekend. Saturday, a mid level trough and closed low will move east across New England and away from the area. Lingering forcing and deep moisture will continue in the morning east of Lake Ontario, and will combine with westerly upslope flow and even some lake generated instability to support more showers. The showers east of Lake Ontario will gradually taper off and end through the day. Meanwhile across Western NY, a brief period of subsidence and drying behind the departing trough will bring mainly dry weather and even some sunshine. Highs will reach the lower 70s for the lower elevations of Western NY, with 60s for higher terrain and east of Lake Ontario. Saturday night, another seasonably strong mid level closed circulation will move from northwest Ontario to southern Quebec, with DPVA and height falls spreading into the eastern Great Lakes overnight. The forcing from the approaching trough will combine with a strengthening upper level jet streak rounding the base of the trough to bring a period of deep layer ascent to the eastern Great Lakes. Model guidance continues to suggest a baroclinic wave will peel off of a system over the central High Plains and partially phase with the incoming trough, producing a period of widespread showers and a few scattered thunderstorms Saturday night across much of the region as the baroclinic wave enhances frontogenesis and deformation. Sunday through Sunday night, the organized area of rain from Saturday night will exit early Sunday. Several additional shortwaves will move trough the mean trough across the Great Lakes and New England, bringing a few more rounds of at least scattered showers Sunday through Sunday night. Modest diurnal instability will contribute to shower chances Sunday, and modest lake instability and upslope flow will contribute Sunday night. Temperatures will be on the cool side, with highs in the mid to upper 60s in most locations.
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&& .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
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The same general longwave pattern will remain in place across North America through early next week, with an expansive ridge in the west and a trough in the east. In fact, the trough in the east will reach its deepest extent on Monday when 850MB temps drop to around +4C across the eastern Great Lakes. The trough and associated forcing, deeper moisture, and cool air aloft will continue to support showers and cool temperatures through Monday night. Weak diurnal instability will continue to enhance showers by day, with lake instability enhancing showers by night. By Tuesday, the trough will begin to deamplify and drift to along or just off the east coast. Temperatures aloft are still quite cool, and this may still support a few spotty showers, but with less coverage than Monday. Tuesday night height rises will spread across the Ohio Valley and eastern Great Lakes ahead of another trough digging into the upper Great Lakes. This will bring a brief interlude of dry weather. Model guidance begins to diverge by Wednesday and Thursday with the handling of the next system. The 00Z GFS develops another closed low over the Ohio Valley and eastern Great Lakes with increasing rain chances. Meanwhile, the 00Z ECMWF/GEM are much weaker and farther north with this shortwave energy, keeping a weak open wave moving through southern Canada. Given the model spread and weak look of the ECMWF/GEM solutions, kept POPS low for Wednesday, in the 20-30 percent range. A warming trend will develop by the middle of next week after a few cool days, with above average temperatures returning.
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&& .AVIATION /08Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
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Mainly VFR flight conditions will continue across western and north central NY this morning. Valley fog has developed across the western Southern Tier but should stay out of the TAF sites. There is a low chance that fog may develop at KART this morning. Right now, KART is still carrying a 5kt wind and dewpoint depression of 3 degrees. TAF will maintain VFR conditions however there is a chance of sudden IFR/LIFR if winds go calm through daybreak. Cool, moist air will rotate around a deep area of low pressure near Georgian Bay into the weekend. A mix of MVFR/VFR conditions are expected today as scattered to numerous showers and a few thunderstorms develop through the afternoon. VFR conditions are expected this evening. Outlook... Saturday through Monday...VFR/MVFR with mainly daytime showers likely with possible thunderstorms. Tuesday...VFR conditions.
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&& .MARINE...
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SW to WSW winds will freshen on both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario today in the wake of the cold frontal passage with choppy waters developing. Small Craft Advisory is in effect for Lake Erie today through Saturday. Conditions may reach Small Craft Advisory criteria for a couple of brief periods across Lake Ontario. Winds relax Saturday night, before increasing again Sunday into early next week. Small Craft Advisories may be needed during this time.
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&& .BUF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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NY...Beach Hazards Statement from 11 AM EDT this morning through this evening for NYZ010-019-085. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory from 9 AM this morning to 8 PM EDT this evening for LEZ020. Small Craft Advisory from 9 AM this morning to midnight EDT tonight for LEZ040-041. Small Craft Advisory from 5 PM this afternoon to 2 AM EDT Sunday for LOZ044-045.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...HSK/RSH/TMA NEAR TERM...HSK SHORT TERM...Hitchcock LONG TERM...Hitchcock AVIATION...HSK MARINE...Apffel/HSK/JM/TMA