Weather: Sunny and mild temperatures this week
ITHACA, N.Y. — It’s a relatively calm period of weather in Ithaca and Tompkins County this week. Some clouds and showers will move during today and tomorrow, with a weak low and its cold front moving over the region, then merging to form a developing storm system towards the southeast. Once this system moves to the northeast, high pressure will take control for the rest of the week.
Temperatures are expected to rise above normal starting Thursday. This pattern is expected to continue over the next week with a 50-60% chance of seeing temperatures above normal. #nywx #pawx pic.twitter.com/pKJSeblTB4
– NWS Binghamton (@NWSBinghamton) September 17, 2023
Your weekly weather
Skies will be mostly cloudy this afternoon as a weak low with an associated cold frontal boundary pushes into western New York. A developing low-pressure storm system over the central Atlantic provides additional moisture and cloud cover, although the bulk of the precipitation remains to the south.
As the weather turns humid, some scattered rain is likely later in the day and into the early hours of the night. These will be intermittent with light to moderate amounts, generally less than 0.1 inch of rain with a few areas of 0.1-0.25 inches. Skies will be mostly cloudy, although skies will be temporarily clearer in northwest Ithaca. High temperatures this Sunday will be around 70. Sunday night will see drier conditions and mostly cloudy skies with lows around 50. Some morning fog may be a nuisance on your morning commute, especially those who live in valley areas.
As the coastal system strengthens and oceanic moisture wraps around its circulation, that combined with an extended channel of instability from Sunday’s weaker, merging low will bring another round of light to moderate rain during the afternoon and evening on Monday. Skies will be partly cloudy with light northwest winds and highs around 70 degrees. Monday night will witness mostly cloudy skies and rain will diminish towards midnight as the coastal depression moves towards the northeast. Lows will be in the lower 50s.
High pressure moves in later Tuesday, though some rain may persist northeast of Ithaca as excess flow around the counterclockwise rotating low keeps some residual moisture and instability in the immediate area. Overall, skies will be mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60s. Northwest flow, drier skies and mostly clear skies will make Tuesday night fairly quiet, with starlit skies and lows in the mid 40s. Autumn is coming.
Wednesday will witness a rise in atmospheric pressure, and a stable and pleasant atmosphere. It will be sunny with highs in the 70s. Wednesday night will be cool and calm, with mostly clear skies and lows in the mid 40s.
High pressure continues over the sky on Thursday. A slight shift to the east could bring warmer air into the area, with mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid-70s. Thursday night will be partly cloudy with lows in the upper 40s.
High pressure moves slightly eastward on Friday. Skies will be mostly sunny with highs in the mid to upper 70s. Friday night will be partly cloudy with lows in the 50s.
Looking ahead to the weekend ahead, the weather looks dry and mild on the first day of astronomical fall, with mostly sunny skies Saturday and highs in the mid 70s, and a dry Saturday night with lows in the lower 50s. A low pressure system to the south looks like it could bring some rain on Sunday, with low temperatures rising to the mid 70s.
Expanded forecasts
Looking toward the end of September, the large-scale weather pattern calls for a jet stream from upstream over the western United States, with a band of warmer-than-normal air over the central and eastern United States. This type of pattern will likely funnel moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean northward, with somewhat higher than normal precipitation (which is still raining at this time of year) expected across much of the country. On the tropical side of the weather, Tropical Storm Nigel will likely strengthen but remain offshore, and another Cape Verde system may develop in the tropical Atlantic this week (it will be named Ophelia if it does), but it’s too early to do anything about it. Where will this storm end?
