Windy Friday increases risk of wildfires – Finger Lakes weather

Weekend weather forecast

An approaching cold front will bring strong winds today, but little precipitation.

This continues recent weeks’ trend of minimal precipitation from weather systems, with most of the area now classified as “abnormally dry,” the first drought level in the U.S. Drought Monitor’s classification system.

The wind increases during the morning and reaches its peak in the afternoon hours. West and northwest winds with speeds of over 24 km/h at times can also reach gusts of up to 56 km/h.

This increases the risk of bushfires as fires can spread quickly due to the wind. Parts of the region have enacted local burn bans, but even those without a ban should exercise extreme caution today.

The front will continue to bring increasing clouds and a few showers this afternoon. These showers will be best seen in the northeast quadrant of the Finger Lakes region, but will have no impact on overall dryness.

Temperatures will peak in the mid to locally upper 50s this afternoon. Behind the front, temperatures will quickly fall into the upper 40s this evening and reach the low 30s Saturday morning. Local pockets of cold temperatures could slip into the upper 20s.

The sky will clear overnight and the wind will die down. On Saturday it will be mostly sunny, the wind will continue to decrease and finally become almost calm in the afternoon. The wind will come from the north.

Temperatures will be pushed lower by this front, with highs on Saturday only in the mid 40s. The evening temperatures quickly fall back to 30 to 20 °C.

However, after midnight a southerly wind develops and some clouds form. This will cause temperatures to level off or even rise a few degrees by Sunday morning.

Sunday will be fairly cloudy, although some filtered sun will be possible early. Southwest winds will push temperatures back up to the mid 50s.

*** Be sure to check out the bottom of this post for an important update on the annual calendar sale. ***

Chance of rain

Showers will begin later Sunday afternoon, but the bulk of the rain from this next system will come Sunday night.

But again, rainfall amounts won’t be particularly beneficial, with most areas staying well under half an inch and likely under a quarter of an inch.

Showers will continue into Monday, especially in the morning and again in the evening as a cold front moves through.

Monday will start off mild with lows in the mid 40s. Afternoon highs will be in the upper 50s.

Behind the front, Tuesday starts early with a few clouds, and the sun rises late. Highs will fall back down to the mid 40s.

Clear skies Tuesday evening will result in a cold night, with temperatures in the upper 20s in many areas. On Wednesday, temperatures will rise again to a high of around 50 degrees. Sunshine early Wednesday will be replaced by clouds late afternoon.

Thursday looks rainy at this point, with at least a slight chance of around half an inch of rain. However, it is still early and the trend is towards less rain, as has often been the case recently with the models 5 to 7 days ahead of a weather event.

Temperatures should remain seasonal late next week and into the weekend, although a slight increase in temperatures is likely next Sunday and the following Monday as the next system approaches.

This graphic represents an average across the entire Finger Lakes region. Local variations are to be expected.

Calendar update 2025

Unfortunately I cannot offer a calendar for 2025. Several factors played a role in this decision, many of which were beyond my control. The main reasons included technical problems and high costs.

I know this is as disappointing to you as it is to me. I had high hopes for this year and had already put a lot of work into another great calendar. But this will give me a head start on hopefully bringing the calendar back for 2026.

Calendar sales have helped defray many of the expenses directly associated with operating FLX Weather over the past two years. This includes basics like web hosting and subscriptions for various aspects of the website, but also more specialized subscriptions like access to model data.

Without the calendar sales, 2025 will remain unfinanced. This makes it even more difficult for me to do my job and provide the weather forecasts you can rely on, especially during active and dangerous weather.

If you have the opportunity to make a one-time donation or, better yet, a monthly contribution, please consider doing so to secure the necessary funding for another year. Thank you for your consideration, generosity and support.

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