995  
FXUS61 KBUF 222328  
AFDBUF  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY  
728 PM EDT WED JUL 22 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
MINOR CHANGES TO THE FORECAST WITH THIS FORECAST UPDATE.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
1) COOL THIS AFTERNOON WITH LAKE EFFECT RAIN SHOWERS GRADUALLY  
ENDING BY THIS EVENING.  
 
2) DRY WEATHER RETURNS THURSDAY AND CONTINUES THROUGH SATURDAY WITH  
A DAY TO DAY WARMING TREND.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...COOL THIS AFTERNOON WITH LAKE EFFECT RAIN SHOWERS  
GRADUALLY ENDING BY THIS EVENING.  
 
A DEEP TROUGH CENTERED OVER EASTERN CANADA WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT  
MOIST CYCLONIC FLOW OVER THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES THROUGH EARLY THIS  
EVENING, COMBINING WITH COOL AIR ALOFT TO SUPPORT A WEALTH OF  
STRATOCUMULUS.  
 
THE AIRMASS IS COOL ENOUGH TO SUPPORT SOME LAKE RESPONSE, WITH A  
PERSISTENT BAND OF LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS TODAY AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER  
OF LAKE ONTARIO. THESE SHOWERS WILL BECOME LESS ORGANIZED THROUGH  
THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON FROM THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF DIURNAL  
BOUNDARY LAYER MIXING AND EXIT OF DEEPER SYNOPTIC SCALE MOISTURE. A  
FEW ADDITIONAL SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP THROUGH THE AFTERNOON  
AND EARLY EVENING EAST OF LAKE ONTARIO FROM UPSLOPE FLOW AND DIURNAL  
STEEPENING OF LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES. THE LAST OF THESE SHOWERS  
SHOULD END BY MID EVENING. A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL ALSO  
CONTINUE ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE WESTERN SOUTHERN TIER FROM  
A COMBINATION OF LAKE INSTABILITY AND UPSLOPE FLOW, WITH THESE  
ENDING BY LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING.  
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD EAST ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES OVERNIGHT  
THROUGH THURSDAY. SKIES WILL CLEAR FROM WEST TO EAST TONIGHT WITH  
THE ARRIVAL OF DRIER AIR AND SUBSIDENCE. IT WILL BE A COOL NIGHT,  
WITH LOWS IN THE LOW TO MID 50S ON THE LAKE PLAINS AND MID 40S IN  
THE SOUTHERN TIER VALLEYS AND LEWIS COUNTY.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2...DRY WEATHER RETURNS THURSDAY AND CONTINUES THROUGH  
SATURDAY WITH A DAY TO DAY WARMING TREND.  
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD EAST ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES THURSDAY, THEN  
LINGER OVER THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES AND NEW ENGLAND FRIDAY THROUGH  
SATURDAY. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR A NICE STRETCH OF DRY AND BENIGN  
WEATHER TO CLOSE OUT THE WEEK. THE NEXT TROUGH WILL DIG INTO THE  
GREAT LAKES BY SUNDAY, BRINGING A CHANCE OF A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS  
AND THUNDERSTORMS.  
 
THE ONSET OF WEAK WARM ADVECTION AND MORE IN THE WAY OF SUNSHINE  
WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO RECOVER TO THE MID 70S FOR LOWER  
ELEVATIONS AND AROUND 70 ACROSS HIGHER TERRAIN THURSDAY AFTERNOON  
AFTER A COOL START TO THE DAY. STEADY WARM ADVECTION WILL CONTINUE  
TO SUPPORT A DAY TO DAY WARMING TREND THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.  
HIGHS FOR LOWER ELEVATIONS WILL REACH THE LOWER 80S FRIDAY, AND MID  
80S BY SATURDAY.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
THE LAST OF THE RAIN SHOWERS GENERALLY NEAR OR JUST NORTH OF  
KART THIS EVENING WILL CONTINUE TO DIE OFF WITH THE LOSS OF  
DIURNAL HEATING AND AS MID-LEVEL TEMPERATURES START TO RISE.  
LIKEWISE, CLOUDS ARE ALREADY DISSIPATING OVER THE WESTERN HALF  
OF THE AREA, AND THIS TREND WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EASTWARD.  
CLEAR SKIES WILL BE THE RESULT OVERNIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY AT ALL  
SITES WITH VFR CONDITIONS AND LIGHT WINDS. THERE IS SOME  
POTENTIAL FOR SOME LIGHT FOG IN THE VALLEYS NEAR KJHW TOWARD  
MORNING, BUT THIS SEEMS TOO REMOTE TO PUT INTO THE FORECAST.  
 
OUTLOOK...  
 
FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...MAINLY VFR. PATCHY FOG AND LOCAL IFR  
POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TIER VALLEYS LATE THURSDAY NIGHT  
THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING.  
 
SUNDAY...VFR/MVFR WITH A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS, MAINLY IN  
THE AFTERNOON.  
 
MONDAY...VFR/MVFR WITH A CHANCE OF A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
BRISK WNW WINDS WILL CONTINUE ON LAKE ONTARIO INTO THIS EVENING,  
SUPPORTING SOLID SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS. WINDS WILL BE  
LIGHTER ON LAKE ERIE, BUT STILL STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE VERY CHOPPY  
CONDITIONS JUST BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA.  
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN BUILD EAST ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES OVERNIGHT  
THROUGH THURSDAY, WITH DIMINISHING WINDS AND WAVES. THE LIGHTER WIND  
REGIME WILL CONTINUE FRIDAY THROUGH MOST OF THE UPCOMING WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
BUF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NY...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT UNTIL 6 AM EDT THURSDAY FOR NYZ001>007.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM EDT THURSDAY FOR LOZ042.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM EDT THURSDAY FOR  
LOZ043>045.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...HITCHCOCK  
AVIATION...FRIES  
MARINE...HITCHCOCK  
 
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