687  
FXUS61 KBGM 201935  
AFDBGM  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY  
235 PM EST WED NOV 20 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
CLOUDY AND WARM TODAY. A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING  
MUCH NEEDED RAIN TO THE REGION TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. THE FIRST  
BIG SNOW STORM OF THE SEASON IS EXPECTED FOR HIGHER ELEVATIONS  
AROUND THE WYOMING VALLEY AND CATSKILLS THURSDAY NIGHT INTO THE  
WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/
 
 
930 AM UPDATE...  
 
MINOR CHANGES NEEDED, UPDATED TEMPERATURES AND DEW POINTS USING  
CURRENT OBSERVATIONS.  
 
645 AM UPDATE...  
 
SHOWERS HAVE DISSIPATED BUT SOME PATCHY DRIZZLE REMAINS AROUND  
BINGHAMTON AND SCRANTON. SKIES WILL REMAIN CLOUDY TODAY BUT  
SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT AT SHORTWAVE  
WILL PROVIDE WAA THAT WILL PUSH TEMPS 5-10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL  
TODAY. THE FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK WITH MINIMAL UPDATES MADE.  
 
230 AM UPDATE...  
 
THE WARM FRONT HAS MOVED INTO THE FINGER LAKES AND WESTERN  
MOHAWK VALLEY WITH TEMPS IN THE UPPER 40S TO LOW 50S. TEMPS EAST  
OF I-81 ARE IN THE LOW 40S AND SHOULDN'T FALL TO MUCH MORE WITH  
THE CLOUD COVER OVERHEAD. INCREASED SURFACE MOISTURE  
ACCOMPANYING THE FRONT HAS ALLOWED SOME RAIN SHOWERS TO REMAIN  
OVER THE AREA TONIGHT WITH THE PRECIPITATION REACHING THE  
GROUND IN THE FINGER LAKES. EAST OF I-81, SURFACE MOISTURE  
SEEMS TO BE TOO LOW AND FALLING PRECIP HAS BEEN MOSTLY VIRGA.  
SHOWERS SHOULD DISSIPATE BY SUNRISE.  
 
TODAY WILL BE CLOUDY AND MOSTLY QUIET AS WE SIT UNDER A WEAK  
RIDGE MOVING EASTWARD. SW FLOW INCREASES LATER THIS MORNING,  
BRINGING STRONG WAA INTO THE REGION AND PUSHING AFTERNOON  
TEMPERATURES INTO THE MID 50S TO LOW 60S; WELL ABOVE NORMAL FOR  
MID-NOVEMBER. TODAY WILL BE THE LAST QUITE WEATHER DAY FOR A  
WHILE AS OUR PATTERN CHANGES AND WE SEE A RETURN TO ACTIVE  
WEATHER TO FINISH OUT THE WEEK.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/
 
 
345 AM UPDATE...  
 
A FRONTAL BOUNDARY THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH A STACKED LOW PRESSURE  
SYSTEM WILL PUSH INTO THE REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT. TIMING OF THIS  
FRONT IS SLIGHTLY SLOWER THAN PREVIOUSLY FORECASTED, BUT IT WILL  
STILL BE QUICK TO MOVE THROUGH AS IT BRINGS WIDESPREAD RAIN TO  
THE REGION. COOLER AIR WILL FILTER IN WITH THIS FRONT SO  
CONDITIONS MAY BE COLD ENOUGH IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS FOR SOME  
SNOW TO MIX IN. THERE WILL BE AN AREA OF DRIER AIR BEHIND THE  
FRONT THAT WILL BRING A BRIEF BREAK IN THE PRECIPITATION FOR  
SOME WEST OF I-81. HOWEVER, A COASTAL LOW DEVELOPS BY THURSDAY  
MORNING AND WILL RETROGRADE AS IT COMES ONSHORE AND EVENTUALLY  
STALL OVER THE REGION THROUGH AT LEAST FRIDAY MORNING. AS A  
RESULT, SHOWERS WILL SPREAD BACK WESTWARD AS THEY BLANKET THE  
REGION.  
 
COOLER AIR AT 850 MB WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION,  
BUT WRAPAROUND FLOW WILL FAVOR WAA IN THE LOWER LEVELS DURING  
THE DAY ON THURSDAY. THIS WILL KEEP PRECIPITATION AS MAINLY RAIN  
FOR THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON PERIODS. BY THURSDAY  
EVENING, CONDITIONS WILL BE COOL ENOUGH FOR SNOW TO MIX IN AT  
THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. THE LOWER LEVELS WILL FINALLY COOL OFF  
ENOUGH OVERNIGHT FOR THERE TO BE A CHANGEOVER TO SNOW IN THE  
HIGHEST ELEVATIONS WITH SOME VALLEY LOCATIONS RECEIVING A MIX OF  
RAIN AND SNOW. MEANWHILE, UNUSUALLY STRONG EASTERLY FLOW NORTH  
OF THE REGION WILL ADVECT WARM AIR AND KEEP PRECIPITATION AS  
RAIN FOR THE NORTHERN COUNTIES IN THE CWA. MODELS CONTINUE TO  
SHOW FGEN BANDING IN THE LOWER LEVELS, THOUGH THESE AREAS HAVE  
TRENDED SOUTH INTO NEPA AS THE SYSTEM ITSELF HAS ALSO TRENDED  
SOUTH. WHILE IT IS UNKNOWN WHERE THE HEAVIER BANDS WILL SET UP,  
LOCALIZED AREAS WILL LIKELY SEE SOME HIGH SNOWFALL RATES  
THURSDAY NIGHT. ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED THROUGH AT  
LEAST FRIDAY FOR THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS. ELSEWHERE, AS  
CONDITIONS WARM DURING THE DAY, A TRANSITION BACK TO RAIN OR  
RAIN/SNOW MIX WILL OCCUR. THE STACKED LOW FINALLY BEGINS TO MOVE  
OUT OF THE REGION FRIDAY NIGHT AS IT SWINGS OUT OVER THE  
ATLANTIC. THIS WILL PULL SOME MOISTURE AWAY FROM THE REGION AND  
COVERAGE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS BECOMES MORE SCATTERED. WITH  
THE POSITION OF THE LOW TO THE EAST, NORTHWEST FLOW WILL COME  
OFF OF LAKE ONTARIO AND LAKE ERIE. THIS WILL LEAD TO SOME LAKE  
EFFECT PRECIPITATION DEVELOPING OVERNIGHT. WITH SURFACE TEMPS  
NEAR FREEZING, EXCEPT OVER THE NORTHERN FINGER LAKES REGION,  
SNOW OR A RAIN/SNOW MIX CAN BE EXPECTED ONCE AGAIN OVER MOST OF  
THE REGION.  
 
OVERALL, THE TREND HAS SHIFTED A LITTLE SOUTH AND WEST COMPARED TO A  
FEW MODEL RUNS AGO. THIS HAS ALSO SHIFTED THE EXPECTED SNOWFALL  
TOTALS MORE SOUTH INTO NEPA. IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS, UP TO A FOOT  
MAY BE POSSIBLE. IN THE VALLEYS, SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE MUCH  
LOWER, ONLY A FEW INCHES AT BEST. AFTER COLLABORATING WITH  
NEIGHBORING OFFICES AND GETTING INPUT FROM WPC, A WINTER STORM WATCH  
WAS ISSUED FOR WYOMING, LUZERNE, LACKAWANNA, AND SOUTHERN WAYNE. FOR  
THE REST OF NEPA, AN ADVISORY WAS ISSUED. THERE IS A STRIPE OF HIGH  
TOTALS RIGHT ALONG THE SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY AND WAYNE COUNTY BORDER.  
IF THIS WERE TO SHIFT IN EITHER DIRECTION, THEN THE ADVISORY WILL  
NEED TO BE UPDATED. TOTALS HAVE TRENDED LOWER IN THE CATSKILLS BUT  
ARE STILL EXPECTED TO REACH ADVISORY CRITERIA IN THE HIGHER  
ELEVATIONS. THIS WILL BE A WET, HEAVY SNOW WHICH COULD LEAD TO  
ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES.  
 
AS MENTIONED IN PREVIOUS UPDATES, PRECIPITATION TYPES WILL BE  
DEPENDENT ON TEMPERATURES. THE NAM IN THE PAST HAS HANDLED MIXED  
PRECIP EVENTS WELL AND WHILE THIS IS NOT A TRUE MIXED PRECIP EVENT  
WHERE EVERY WINTER PTYPE IS OBSERVED, IT WAS FAVORED FOR  
TEMPERATURES DURING THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY NIGHT. ALSO, THERE  
IS SOME CONCERN THAT DYNAMIC COOLING DUE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION  
COULD LEAD TO MORE SNOW THAN WHAT IS EXPECTED. THE COOLER NAM  
WAS BLENDED IN WITH THE NBM TO LOWER TEMPS AT NIGHT. IT WAS ALSO  
GIVEN A LITTLE WEIGHT FOR FRIDAY. BY USING THE NAM, THIS  
FORECAST HAS MORE SNOW OR RAIN/SNOW MIX THAN PREVIOUSLY  
FORECASTED. TEMPERATURES WILL MAX OUT IN THE 30S AND 40S WITH  
FRIDAY BEING THE COLDEST DAY. LOWS WILL BE IN THE 30S WITH MOST  
HOVERING AROUND FREEZING THURSDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHTS.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
235 PM UPDATE  
 
AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL BE IN PLACE OVER THE AREA ON  
SATURDAY,WITH A SEASONABLY COLD NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN IN THE  
FORECAST. THIS FLOW WILL ALLOW FOR LAKE EFFECT AND ENHANCED RAIN  
SHOWERS THROUGH THE DAY, MAINLY FOR CENTRAL NY NORTH OF  
BINGHAMTON...HOWEVER THE REST OF THE AREA WILL REMAIN MOSTLY CLOUDY  
AND COOL WITH BREEZY NW WINDS (10-20 MPH). THE NW FLOW PATTERN WITH  
LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS CONTINUES SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY AS WELL,  
WITH 850MB TEMPERATURES DROPPING TO AROUND -6C. SURFACE TEMPERATURES  
WILL BE MARGINAL AND SOME WET SNOW FLAKES COULD CERTAINLY MIX IN AT  
TIMES (ESPECIALLY OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING). THE LAKE EFFECT  
SHOWERS DO BEGIN TO TAPER OFF AND END LATER IN THE DAY. HIGHS OVER  
THE WEEKEND ARE FORECAST TO BE IN THE 40S, WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS IN  
THE 30S. SOME TRANSIENT UPPER LEVEL RIDGING MOVES OVER THE AREA  
SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY, BRINGING A BRIEF PERIOD OF DRIER WEATHER.  
 
THE NEXT SYSTEM MOVES IN LATER MONDAY BRINGING SOME RAIN SHOWERS  
THEN COLDER AIR BEHIND IT. 850MB TEMPERATURES FALL BACK TOWARD -5 TO  
-8C FOR THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WHICH MAY BRING ADDITIONAL LAKE  
EFFECT RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS IN THE NW FLOW PATTERN. THIS CONTINUES  
THROUGH ABOUT WEDNESDAY BEFORE ANOTHER BRIEF BREAK IN THE WEATHER  
ARRIVES. TEMPERATURES ARE MILD ON MONDAY WELL INTO THE 40S AND EVEN  
LOWER 50S FOR HIGHS. IT COOLS BACK DOWN INTO THE 40S ON TUESDAY,  
THEN MID-30S TO LOWER 40S BY NEXT WEDNESDAY. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE  
IN THE 30S, AND SOME 20S BY TUESDAY NIGHT. OVERALL FAIRLY SEASONABLE  
TEMPERATURES.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /20Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
PERSISTENT IFR CONDITIONS AT BGM ARE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE TO MVFR  
WITHIN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. OTHERWISE MVFR CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO  
SURROUND THE AREA, AS A WARM FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. A FEW  
SITES ARE BRIEFLY EXPECTED TO IMPROVE TO VFR THIS AFTERNOON  
BEFORE SETTLING BACK INTO MVFR.  
 
RAIN MOVES INTO THE REGION THIS EVENING AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES  
THROUGH. CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DROP TO IFR AT BGM, ITH,  
SYR, RME BETWEEN 5-9Z. CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH FOR IFR AT  
AVP AND ELM AT THIS TIME GIVEN THE CURRENT PREVAILING WIND  
DIRECTIONS DO NOT USUALLY SUPPORT IFR, BUT IT IS DEFINITELY A  
POSSIBILITY AND WILL BE MONITORED.  
 
OUTLOOK...  
 
THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...RESTRICTIONS LIKELY WITH WIDESPREAD  
RAIN SHOWERS. RAIN MAY BECOME A WINTRY MIX OR JUST SNOW DURING  
OVERNIGHT HOURS.  
 
SATURDAY...CONTINUED POSSIBLE RESTRICTIONS IN RAIN AND SNOW  
SHOWERS, ESPECIALLY CENTRAL NY.  
 
SUNDAY...GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT. VFR PROBABLE FOR AVP WITH MVFR  
EXPECTED ELSEWHERE. MIXED RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS FAR NORTHERN AREAS.  
 
MONDAY... ANOTHER APPROACHING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM COULD BRING  
POSSIBLE RESTRICTIONS.  
 

 
   
BGM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
PA...WINTER STORM WATCH FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY  
AFTERNOON FOR PAZ038>040-043-044-047-048-072.  
NY...WINTER STORM WATCH FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY  
AFTERNOON FOR NYZ022>025-044>046-055>057-062.  
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 PM FRIDAY TO 1 AM EST SATURDAY  
FOR NYZ057-062.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...JTC  
NEAR TERM...ES/JTC  
SHORT TERM...BTL  
LONG TERM...MJM  
AVIATION...ES/JTC  
 
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