Weather: A cool start, but warmer and muggier late-week - The Ithaca Voice (2024)

ITHACA, N.Y. — Some cooler than normal temperatures will kick off the week ahead, but hotter, muggier conditions will return for your Independence Day festivities and next weekend. While some showers and thunderstorms will be possible for much of the second half of the week, the bigger issue will be the sticky humidity that will accompany the above-normal temps from Wednesday and through the weekend.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms continue across the area with a Severe Thunderstorm Watch in effect for all of Northeast PA, as well as Sullivan County, NY. #PAwx #NYwx pic.twitter.com/oxHqALJ8lj

— NWS Binghamton (@NWSBinghamton) June 30, 2024

Your Weekly Weather

A cold front is working its way through the eastern half of the state as part of the Canadian storm system that passed north of Tompkins County Friday night and Saturday. Some strong thunderstorms are firing off in the destabilized air of the Lower Hudson Valley, and while temperatures in the Capital Region are in the mid and upper 80s, its only in the 60s in WNY and the Buffalo area, as that cold but stable air enters on northwest winds behind the front.

With those northwest winds, temperatures will steadily decline as the day closes on Tompkins County. Current conditions in the upper 70s with humid air will become much drier and more comfortable as temps fall to the mid 60s by sunset, with a mix of sun and clouds through the rest of your Sunday. Sunday night will see some persistent cloud cover and maybe an isolated shower with a weak upper-air trough passing aloft, but most areas will stay dry with lows in the mid 50s.

Monday will be a cool day with clockwise-spinning high pressure over the Great Lakes and northwest winds overhead. Clouds will decrease through the day as that upper-air disturbance departs in the morning, and highs will be below normal, in the mid 70s. Monday night will be dry and devoid of clouds with lows in the low 50s.

High pressure centered directly overhead Tuesday will shunt the cool air flow to the east, and light and variable winds locally will allow temps to rebound to seasonable values. Plan for a partly sunny day with highs in the low 80s. Tuesday night will host partly cloudy skies and lows in the low to mid 60s.

The frontal boundary of another Canadian storm system well to the north will begin to approach Wednesday, and the counterclockwise flow around the low will amp up southerly winds ahead of the system. It will stay dry, but it will become rather muggy, with partly to mostly cloudy skies, and highs in the upper 80s. Wednesday night will see periods of showers and thunderstorms as the front moves in, with mostly cloudy skies and lows in the upper 60s.

For the Fourth of July holiday, a few showers will linger during the day, but most areas will be dry and partly sunny. It will be oppressively muggy, with highs in the mid and upper 80s, and dewpoints in the 70s that will make it feel more like the mid 90s. If you’re grilling or poolside, or whatever your plan may be, stay cool and hydrated. Thursday night will see a few isolated instability showers overnight with mostly cloudy skies and lows in the mid 60s.

Friday will see high pressure to the north, but here in the southern of its clockwise flow, it’ll remain warm and humid. A few instability showers are likely later in the day, with hazy skies, muggy air, and highs in the mid 80s. Friday night will see a few showers and storms as a low pressure storm system passes to the northwest, along with mostly cloudy and lows in the upper 60s.

Peering into next weekend, it’s looking like we’ll stay warm and humid through the weekend. Some sun with late-day pop-up storms is likely Saturday, with highs in the mid 80s, and a slightly drier day with highs in the lower 80s is likely for Sunday. Lows will be in the mid 60s.

Extended Outlook

Looking into the middle of July, the large-scale pattern favors varying amounts of surplus heat across the lower 48, with a broad ridge of hot air across the United States. Some marginal weakness may occur over the Great Plains, but the lobes of the ridge near the coasts is expected to be strong, including in the Northeast. This pattern will advect moist air from the Gulf and subtropical Atlantic poleward, and precip will likely be a little above normal for the period, likely making that extra heat feel extra humid. Stock up on the cold beverages and ice cream, because it’s looking like an abnormally hot July.