


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
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001 FXUS61 KBUF 030014 AFDBUF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Buffalo NY 814 PM EDT Tue Sep 2 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Scattered showers and a few isolated thunderstorms possible through mid evening, otherwise dry weather and warm conditions expected through Wednesday. A cold front will then bring widespread showers and thunderstorms Thursday, before turning cooler and quite breezy Friday with unsettled weather continuing into the weekend. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... Diurnally driven scattered showers and a few isolated thunderstorms will linger through mid evening or so, before waning with the loss of daytime heating. These will be mainly confined to the interior Southern Tier and Genesee Valley. Otherwise, the weak upper-level low responsible for this activity will slowly drift from southeastern Ontario northward into southern Quebec by late this evening into the early overnight, before getting absorbed by a much larger upper low over the southern Canadian Prairies diving southeast into the upper Great Lakes region on Wednesday. Following any lingering shower activity through mid evening, weak surface high pressure will bring a return to dry weather tonight. Lows will mainly be in the low to mid 50s, with some of the higher terrain dropping back into the upper 40s. Surface high pressure will drift east across New England Wednesday, before settling off the New England coast Wednesday night. This will keep dry weather intact through the remainder of the period, although a few showers ahead of an approaching cold front off to the west may sneak into far western toward daybreak on Thursday. Wednesday will be the warmest day of the next seven, with mid to upper 70s area wide, and even some low 80s across the traditionally warmest spots. A strengthening southerly flow and increasing cloud cover ahead of the approaching cold front will keep Wednesday night`s lows on the milder side with mainly mid 50s to low 60s. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... Headed into Thursday, an anomalous sub-5400 m upper level low will position itself over the upper Great Lakes and northern Ontario. As the surface low begins to occlude, a cold front with the chance of rain showers and gusty winds through early afternoon across western NY and into the late afternoon and evening for north-central NY. A secondary, potent shortwave will begin to round the base of the trough Thursday night bringing strong southwest winds Friday across Lake Erie into the Niagara Frontier as well as another round of showers and storms Friday night. Showers and Thunderstorms: Periods of heavy rainfall and gusty winds look to be the main hazards with these storms Thursday. A strong flow pattern will be present with fairly moist vertical profiles that may support vertical momentum transfer to the surface. The overall environment will be less impressive with MLCAPE around 500 J/kg and meager mid-level lapse rates around 5-6 C/km. With a progressive front and latest FFG from the local RFCs being high with dry soils, flooding is not anticipated, but the potential for multiple rounds of storms will need to be monitored with any pre- frontal convection as well as storms closer to the frontal forcing. Latest NBM probability of exceeding 0.5" of precipitation remains high around 50-75%, but probabilities drastically drop off when looking at a threshold of 1.0" across western NY. However. portions of the Tug Hill and eastward show the greatest potential for exceeding 1.0" of precipitation. Gusty Winds: Ahead of Thursday`s cold front, southerly flow aloft with tightening gradients will lead to gusty winds across much of western NY. The greater concern looks to be with the secondary shortwave passing through Friday with southwest winds extending up Lake Erie into the Niagara Frontier. Latest NAEFS and EC guidance shows wind speeds aloft exceeding the climatological 98th percentile value for early September exceeding 50 kt. Deterministic EC and GFS from the latest run shows a resultant 993 mb deepening over Lake Huron as the shortwave passes through which would be suggestive of a potential advisory level event across the area. Ensemble members are still a little mixed with magnitude of the low and exact position as it crosses through the central Great Lakes. While winds aloft have been trending upward, one thing to consider is the potential for a more westward track as the shortwave rounds the base of the trough lifting farther north into Canada that may spare portions of the CWA for seeing these stronger winds Friday. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... Large scale troughing will continue across the Great Lakes region and northward as a surface low looks to be positioned east of James Bay. Uncertainties remain with the low progression eastward with Friday`s embedded shortwave and transition from the occluded low. Additional showers will be located along the associated cold front Saturday extending from northern NY southwest through the Finger Lakes region. Lake enhanced showers will also be possible off Lakes Erie and Ontario in the post-frontal flow with shallow ELs, but still moist boundary layer through early Sunday. Height rises are expected headed into Monday as high pressure and drier weather arrive to start next week, but any warm up will be gradual and short- lived as the overall troughing pattern will remain across the northeast US. && .AVIATION /00Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Brief periods of very localized IFR VSBY possible through mid evening or so within any heavier shower or storm that lingers across the interior Southern Tier and Genesee Valley. VFR elsewhere. Shower potential ends by mid evening or so with mainly VFR expected tonight. Only exception will again be areas of typical Southern Tier valley fog late tonight into the start of Wednesday morning, bringing localized areas of IFR, however is not expected to directly impact KJHW. High pressure drifts slowly east into New England on Wednesday, but will keep widespread VFR flight conditions intact through the day. Outlook... Thursday...MVFR/IFR with showers and thunderstorms. Gusty winds also possible with the cold front. Friday and Saturday...Mainly VFR with lingering rain showers and gusty winds. Sunday...Mainly VFR. Spotty lake induced showers east of Lake Ontario. && .MARINE... Light winds and minimal waves are expected through Wednesday as high pressure drifts east and off the New England coastline. A cold front will then cross the area between Thursday and Thursday night...with increasing southerlies to southwesterlies expected out ahead of the front later Wednesday night and Thursday...and fairly brisk southwesterlies to westerlies following in its` wake Friday into the weekend. Eastern portions of Lake Erie and western Lake Ontario could see conditions reach low-end SCA criteria for a time later Wednesday night into Thursday...with more widespread advisory- level conditions then appearing more likely Friday into Saturday, possibly lingering into Sunday on Lake Ontario. && .BUF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NY...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...AR/JM NEAR TERM...JM SHORT TERM...Brothers LONG TERM...Brothers AVIATION...JM MARINE...AR/JM