Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY

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385 FXUS61 KBUF 221733 AFDBUF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Buffalo NY 133 PM EDT Sun Sep 22 2024 .SYNOPSIS... A cold front will near the region late tonight and Monday, bringing showers and an isolated rumble of thunder, 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 MONDAY NIGHT/... While this evening will start off rain-free throughout the region... an approaching wavy frontal boundary will spread some showers across the western counties after midnight. It will remain mild tonight with mins ranging from the lower 60s in most areas...to near 50 in the vcnty of the Tug Hill. 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. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...
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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/... 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. && .AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... While cigs will lower tonight with some showers developing over the far western counties...VFR weather can be expected for most areas. The exception will be across the western Southern Tier where cigs may drop to 1500 ft by daybreak. Cigs will continue to deteriorate during the day Monday...as a wavy frontal boundary will become nearly stationary over the far western counties. This feature will be accompanied by increasingly likely showers and possible thunderstorms. Outlook... Tuesday...IFR to MVFR cigs over the western counties in scattered showers and thunderstorms, but mainly VFR and dry east of Lake Ontario. Wednesday...IFR to lower end MVFR regionwide with the likelihood of more showers and thunderstorms. Thursday...MVFR with scattered showers...mainly east of Lake Ontario. Friday...VFR. && .MARINE... 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. && .BUF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NY...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Thomas NEAR TERM...Hitchcock/RSH SHORT TERM...Hitchcock LONG TERM...Hitchcock AVIATION...RSH MARINE...Thomas