Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY

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669 FXUS61 KBUF 132358 AFDBUF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Buffalo NY 758 PM EDT Thu Jun 13 2024 .SYNOPSIS... A cold front will slowly sag through the region tonight while likely generating some showers and possible thunderstorms into Friday morning. A fresh Canadian airmass and expansive high pressure in its wake will guarantee fair but cool weather to start the weekend...and this will be followed up by simply gorgeous weather on Sunday. Mid summer heat and humidity will then build across our region for much of next week with apparent temperatures in most areas soaring to between 95 and 100. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/...
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A cold front over the Upper Great Lakes will slowly settle to the south during the course of the night...crossing our forecast area between midnight and early Friday morning. The front will generate some showers and possible thunderstorms in the process. While the timing of the cold frontal passage will not be conducive to support strong convection...we can expect basin average rainfall amounts that will range from a tenth to a quarter inch. Any organized convection will have the potential to produce localized amounts of a half to up to one inch. Some leftover showers will be possible Friday morning...mainly south of Buffalo and Rochester...as the aforementioned cold front will continue its slow push into Pennsylvania. Clearing skies from north to south will then take place during the midday and afternoon. This should leave pleasant conditions for most areas for the latter portion of the day. It will be cooler with max temperatures in the 70s. Expansive high pressure over the Upper Great Lakes Friday evening will slowly drift southeast during the course of the overnight. This will guarantee fair dry weather with temperatures falling into the 50s.
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&& .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... Broad mid-level ridging centered across the Central Plains Saturday morning will shift east into the northern Great Lakes Sunday. Meanwhile to the east, the mid-level trough centered over New York State Saturday will give way to the Atlantic coastline. At the surface, a broad area of high pressure will slide across the lower Great Lakes supporting dry weather throughout the weekend. With no real weather to speak of, the temperatures will be the focus of the forecast for the foreseeable future. With the exiting trough aloft, the last breath of cooler air will arrive for Saturday as temperatures at 850mb dip down toward 7-8 degree Celsius. Highs Saturday will range in the upper 60s to low 70s. As the ridge enters the Great Lakes, temperatures aloft will begin to modulate supporting highs to warm up into the low to mid 70s across the North Country and the upper 70s to low 80s elsewhere. Overall this weekend will be a great one to spend outdoors! && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... ...Headline Worthy Summer Heat Expected This Period... A prolonged period of heat and higher humidity will arrive next week as a ridge of high pressure builds across the eastern Great Lakes region. 500mb heights will climatologically be in the 99th percentile for this time of year and even reach maximum values for all hours over the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England Wednesday through Thursday. A southerly flow will transport a warm and moist airmass into the forecast area. Over the course of the work week, the ridge will build north across the eastern U.S. which opens the door for the potential for "ridge riders" or clusters of thunderstorms to potentially impact the region Monday through Tuesday. There is high uncertainity that this will materilize but the pattern suggests is a possibility. The ridge will then be centered overhead Wednesday through Thursday which will lessen chances for convective systems across the region. Speaking on precipitation chances, dewpoints will climb to the upper 60s to low 70s through the work week. Surface based instability will be on the rise during the day which may drive convection outside of common lake shadows. There is a slightly higher chance of showers and thunderstorms Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon than Wednesday and Thursday. In terms of sensible weather, this will translate to a prolonged stretch of oppressive summer heat and humidity. Daytime temperatures Monday will feature widespread upper 80s and lower 90s, though remaining a bit cooler across the North Country with low and mid 80s where a slightly cooler airmass will linger. By Tuesday and Wednesday, widespread high temperatures in the low to mid 90s are expected, hottest in the interior valleys and coolest just northeast of both lakes (including the Buffalo area) as a persistent southwest flow advects cooler marine air off the lakes. This heat comes as dewpoints climb into the low 70s, which will cause overall heat indicies in the afternoon to climb into the mid 90s to lower 100s. Daytime highs average the upper 70s for Buffalo, Rochester, and Watertown during the days of June 17-20. It will not only be the impressive level of oppressive midday and afternoon heat to contend with, but the cumulative impacts of only having the mercury settle to near 70 for the overnights (Monday night and beyond), thereby extremely limiting any relief. && .AVIATION /00Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
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VFR conditions will be in place through this evening. A slow moving cold front will press through the region later tonight and early Friday. While VFR flight rules are forecast to persist... the front will support at least scattered shower and thunderstorm activity. The exception will be across the Southern Tier where MVFR to IFR cigs will be likely between about daybreak and midday Friday. Outlook... Friday night through Tuesday...VFR.
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&& .MARINE... A cold front will move across the lower Great Lakes late tonight and early Friday. Southwest winds will increase ahead of the front, with winds remaining elevated through Friday. This will bring choppy conditions to both lakes. High pressure will then build back across the waters with light winds and generally favorable boating conditions during the weekend. && .BUF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NY...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...RSH NEAR TERM...AR/RSH SHORT TERM...EAJ LONG TERM...HSK/PP/RSH AVIATION...AR/RSH MARINE...AR/RSH/TMA