


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
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112 FXUS61 KBUF 271814 AFDBUF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Buffalo NY 214 PM EDT Wed Aug 27 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Scattered showers will gradually diminish east-southeast of Lake Ontario today. A cold front will drop southeast across the area Thursday, bringing the next round of rain and storms along with another bout of cooler air. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... A shortwave trough will pass over western and north-central NY today. A cool airmass resides across the region, with a cumulus field developing over the land. Lake enhancement will support showers southeast of Lake Ontario today, however drier air will limit coverage. A brief period of mid-level ridging will suppress activity into the evening hours. Surface high pressure will build across the Ohio Valley and Mid- Atlantic region tonight. Mid-level ridging will slide off to the east, while a cold front approaches from the northwest. This should keep a light, gradient wind across the region. Low temperatures will range from the low to mid 40s across the interior Southern Tier to the mid 50s across the lake plains. An upper low will move south from northern Quebec Thursday through Thursday night. This will drive a cold front through the region Thursday night. Initially, dry weather will persist across the region the first part of Thursday. Moisture convergence and low- level forcing will increase as the cold front nears the eastern Great Lakes Thursday afternoon. Showers with lake enhancement will develop across the Niagara Peninsula around noontime. As the front moves southeast, showers and a few thunderstorms will drop south across far western NY and Saint Lawrence Valley through afternoon. Some thunderstorms may produce heavy downpours and gusty winds, however due to marginal instability and shear, the severe risk is low. The actual front will move into the forecast area Thursday evening, with showers and thunderstorms becoming more scattered. Lake effect showers will persist east of the Lakes into Friday morning. Rainfall amounts will average from 0.50-1.00" with lesser amounts across central NY Thursday through Thursday night. It will become breezy Thursday afternoon, especially northeast of the Lakes, with wind gusts up to 35 mph. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... An anomalously cool post-frontal airmass will circulate into the region Friday and through the weekend as a closed upper level low wobbles about southern Quebec and New England. Temps at 850H may bottom out as low as +1 to +3 degrees celsius by Friday morning, well within the 10th percentile for the date before warming several degrees. This will naturally translate to a period of below normal sfc temps with highs Friday and Saturday struggling to escape the 60s in most areas. This will especially be the case on Friday when the higher terrain areas could remain in the 50s. This pattern will also facilitate the the transition from synoptically driven rains with the front to a cyclonic, lake enhanced, and upslope driven shower regime. Overall coverage and timing remains somewhat uncertain as the overhead airmass looks quite dry outside of some reinforcing shots of synoptic moisture, though coverage showers should be greatest through the first half of the day Friday before becoming spottier. The greatest chances for precip through Saturday will then likely be S/SE of Lake Ontario. Subsidence from high pressure building across the Great Lakes should then taper off the last of the lake response Saturday night. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... High pressure ridging across the Great Lakes will slowly migrate southeast and gradually settle off the East Coast through Wednesday. This will lead to mainly dry weather accompanied by a warming trend back towards near to above normal temps for early September. Guidance continues to back off on the potential for a coastal low bringing precip to the region around mid-week, though the next trough digging southward across Ontario Province will cause another strong cold front to approach the eastern Great Lakes with increasing chances for showers from the west later Wednesday. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... A cumulus field developed across western and north-central NY today. VFR conditions will continue, with an isolated shower possible at KROC. VFR conditions will continue overnight as surface high pressure moves by to our south. A cold front will approach the terminals Thursday. Southwest winds will increase through the day with wind gusts up to 30kts at KIAG/KBUF/KART. Showers will begin to develop west of the terminals late Thursday morning, before moving into western and north-central NY Thursday afternoon. Flight conditions will lower to low-end MVFR across the far western NY terminals late Thursday. Outlook... Thursday night into Friday...MVFR/IFR with showers and thunderstorms with a frontal passage. Saturday and Sunday...VFR. Monday...VFR. && .MARINE... A light chop will continue on the waters today. Surface high pressure will maintain relatively quiet conditions on the waters. A cold front will approach from the north, and a southwest wind will increase through Thursday. Winds and waves will approach small craft conditions Thursday on Lake Erie and by Thursday night on Lake Ontario. Showers and a few thunderstorms are likely with the front, with lake effect showers lingering into the weekend. Waterspouts are possible on the Lakes late Thursday through Thursday night. && .BUF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NY...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...EAJ/HSK NEAR TERM...HSK SHORT TERM...PP LONG TERM...PP AVIATION...HSK MARINE...HSK