Special Weather Statement, NWS Buffalo, NY

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Buffalo NY
156 PM EDT SAT MAY 28 2016

.SYNOPSIS...
Mid summer conditions will remain in place through Sunday...as high
pressure anchored off the East Coast will continue to pump near
record warmth and moderately high humidity northwards across our
region. This environment will support a few widely scattered showers
and thunderstorms this afternoon and evening mainly, with some
potential for more widespread showers and thunderstorms Sunday
afternoon and evening as a weak trough crosses the region. A weak
cold front will then cross the area Sunday night and bring a return
to somewhat cooler and less humid air early next week.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY/...
Radar imagery showing some limited deep moist convection developing
this afternoon, primarily along a band of agitated cumulus from the
interior Southern Tier into the western Finger Lakes and Genesee
Valley.

A strong mid/upper level ridge will remain in place this afternoon
and evening with little in the way of large scale synoptic ascent.
This will leave the mesoscale to dominate, with the main focus for
deep moist convection being lake breeze boundaries, differential
heating boundaries, and terrain induced circulations. Expect
convection to be tied closely to the diurnal cycle, with a peak in
coverage and intensity during the mid to late afternoon. Stable lake
shadows are well established northeast of lakes Erie and Ontario,
which will limit convection to areas from the interior Southern Tier
eastward across the Genesee Valley to central NY. The Niagara
Frontier and Jefferson County will remain dry.

The very warm airmass will support near record highs this afternoon
with lower elevations away from the lakeshores peaking in the upper
80s to lower 90s. Dewpoints are in the mid 60s, which yields
moderate humidity to go along with the heat. Areas northeast of
Lakes Erie and Ontario will benefit from the cooler lake modified
air, with temperatures in the 70s in downtown Buffalo and the
eastern shores of Lake Ontario.

Given the lack of large scale forcing for ascent, expect the
majority of the convection to diminish this evening as the boundary
layer stabilizes. A number of various models keep scattered storms
going through much of tonight and into Sunday morning, including the
NAM, Canadian GEM, and GFS. With little or no synoptic scale
forcing, this just doesn't seem plausible. With this in mind, have
gone with a dry forecast from mid evening through the overnight with
skies becoming partly cloudy. It will remain very mild overnight
with lows in the upper 60s to around 70 on the lake plains, and mid
60s in the cooler Southern Tier valleys and Lewis County. The very
moist low levels will promote some patchy fog, especially in the
typical Southern Tier river valleys.

On Sunday expect mainly dry weather to last through mid to late
morning, with morning convection seen in some model guidance again
not very plausible given the lack of synoptic scale forcing and time
of day. Through the course of the day this will change as the strong
mid/upper level ridge drifts to the east coast, allowing a
convectively augmented mid level shortwave and vorticity maxima to
drift across western and central NY during the afternoon. The
increase in large scale forcing will interact with the mesoscale
lake breeze and terrain boundaries to produce a better chance of
more widespread deep moist convection than has developed over the
past few days. Moderate instability will be in place, as SBCAPE
reaches around 2000J/kg inland from the lakes by early afternoon.

The combination of large scale and mesoscale features along with
moderate instability supports high likely POPS for the afternoon
from the Southern Tier into the Genesee Valley and western/northern
Finger Lakes. Expect more widespread coverage than today or recent
days in this area. Southwest flow will again force stable lake
shadows to develop northeast of the lakes, with a much lower chance
of convection near Buffalo and Niagara Falls, and also near
Watertown. By late in the day a few scattered storms may develop in
these areas despite the stable lake shadows as the mid level
shortwave approaches.

The environment will again not be favorable for severe storms, with
a lack of deep layer and low level shear, and a tall/skinny CAPE
profile suggesting only moderate strength updrafts. The environment
will be favorable for some heavy rain producers however, with short
Corfidi storm propagation vectors and PWAT approaching 1.75 inches.

The increase in showers/storms and cloud cover will keep
temperatures down a little, with highs in in the mid to upper 80s
across lower elevations and lower 80s across the Southern Tier.
Southwest flow will again keep the Lake Erie shore and eastern
shore of Lake Ontario cooler.

&&

.SHORT TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/...

A shortwave will approach the region from the Upper Lakes Sunday
night with more numerous showers and thunderstorms, slowly
tapering off from west to east overnight with the passage of a
weak cold front. A few showers and isolated thunderstorms may
linger across central NY and the eastern Lake Ontario region
Monday, but otherwise the rest of the area will dry out as a
somewhat drier airmass builds into the region.

The passage of the cool front will bring a bit of relief
temperature-wise with highs on Monday within a few degrees of 80.
High pressure will build into central lakes Monday night with
clear skies and less humid/cooler temperatures.

&&

.LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
Cooler and drier air will push into Western and North-Central New
York Monday Night in the wake of a cool frontal passage, ushering in
a period of quieter weather. This period of tranquil early summer
weather will be driven by upper level ridging that will be amplifying
over the Lower Great Lakes in response to a trough digging across
the Northern Rockies and Upper Missouri Valley. Dry conditions with
seasonably warm temperatures 5 to 10 degrees above average should
prevail at least through Wednesday Night.

While model guidance differs somewhat in terms of details, the
general trend for the latter portion of next week will be a return
to more unsettled weather as the upper level ridge either flattens
out or shifts off to the east, depending on the model solution.
Either way, this will pave the way for a return to more humid
conditions with a chance for showers and thunderstorms. Thursday
will be the transition day between the outgoing ridging and incoming
troughing, so have elected to go with low chance pops for the time
being.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
Widely scattered storms will continue this afternoon from the
western Southern Tier into the Finger Lakes and central NY. There is
a chance of a passing thunderstorm at KJHW, but otherwise the rest
of the TAF sites will remain dry as stable lake shadows spread
inland off Lakes Erie and Ontario. VFR will prevail this afternoon
and evening, with just a few of the heavier storms producing very
brief/local IFR.

The convection will diminish by mid evening as the boundary layer
stabilizes. This will leave mainly dry conditions overnight. With
high surface dewpoints, expect plenty of light BR to develop with
MVFR VSBY late tonight and Sunday Morning. Some Southern Tier river
valley fog is also likely, with local IFR including KJHW. The fog
and BR will burn off by mid morning Sunday, with a return to mainly
VFR.

From late Sunday morning through the afternoon expect showers and
thunderstorms to become more numerous from the Southern Tier into
the Genesee Valley and Central NY, after about 17Z including KJHW
and KROC. This will bring areas of MVFR with local IFR. Stable lake
shadows northeast of the lakes will again keep areas near KBUF-KIAG-
KART drier with VFR prevailing through the afternoon.

Outlook...
Monday...Mainly VFR with a chance of showers and thunderstorms
eastern areas.
Tuesday through Thursday...VFR.

&&

.MARINE...
Light winds and flat wave action will continue through the weekend
with winds generally 12 knots or less and waves less than 2 feet.

Scattered thunderstorms are expected to mainly impact areas well
inland from the lakes this afternoon and evening. On Sunday a weak
trough will cross the region and may produce somewhat more
widespread showers and thunderstorms. A few of these storms may
impact lakes Erie and Ontario with locally higher winds and waves.

A cold front will then cross the region Sunday night and clean out
the heat and humidity, with mainly dry conditions expected on
Memorial Day. Winds will increase somewhat on Memorial Day, up to
about 15 knots which will produce choppy wave action but still well
below small craft advisory criteria.

&&

.CLIMATE...
The first extended period of summer's warmth will be upon us this
weekend. Temperatures will climb well into the 80s, of which some
of these daily readings may near record levels. Listed below are
the records for our three climate stations.

BUFFALO...

Today......May 28th...Record High Maximum...86F...2012
......................Record High Minimum...69F...1911

Sunday.....May 29th...Record High Maximum...87F...1987
......................Record High Minimum...68F...1987

ROCHESTER...

Today......May 28th...Record High Maximum...93F...1911
......................Record High Minimum...68F...1939

Sunday.....May 29th...Record High Maximum...92F...2006
......................Record High Minimum...69F...1908

WATERTOWN...

Today......May 28th...Record High Maximum...85F...2012
......................Record High Minimum...64F...1987

Sunday.....May 29th...Record High Maximum...87F...2012
......................Record High Minimum...63F...2006

A climatic day is between 1 AM EDT to 1 AM EDT.

Temperature records for Buffalo and Rochester date back to 1871,
while records for Watertown start in 1949.

&&

.BUF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NY...None.
MARINE...None.

&&

SYNOPSIS...HITCHCOCK
NEAR TERM...HITCHCOCK
SHORT TERM...LEVAN/WCH
LONG TERM...WOOD
AVIATION...HITCHCOCK
MARINE...HITCHCOCK
CLIMATE...THOMAS

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
502 AM EDT SAT MAY 28 2016

NYZ001>008-010>014-019>021-085-290915-
NIAGARA-ORLEANS-MONROE-WAYNE-NORTHERN CAYUGA-OSWEGO-JEFFERSON-LEWIS-
NORTHERN ERIE-GENESEE-WYOMING-LIVINGSTON-ONTARIO-CHAUTAUQUA-
CATTARAUGUS-ALLEGANY-SOUTHERN ERIE-
502 AM EDT SAT MAY 28 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEW
YORK.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES...
AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN
BUFFALO CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BUF

LEZ020-040-041-LOZ030-042>045-062>065-SLZ022-024-290915-
UPPER NIAGARA RIVER AND BUFFALO HARBOR-
LAKE ERIE NEARSHORE WATERS FROM RIPLEY TO DUNKIRK-
LAKE ERIE NEARSHORE WATERS FROM DUNKIRK TO BUFFALO-
LOWER NIAGARA RIVER-
LAKE ONTARIO NEARSHORE WATERS FROM THE NIAGARA RIVER TO HAMLIN BEACH-
LAKE ONTARIO NEARSHORE WATERS FROM HAMLIN BEACH TO SODUS BAY-
LAKE ONTARIO NEARSHORE WATERS FROM SODUS BAY TO MEXICO BAY-
LAKE ONTARIO NEARSHORE WATERS FROM MEXICO BAY TO THE SAINT LAWRENCE
RIVER-
LAKE ONTARIO OPEN WATERS FROM THE NIAGARA RIVER TO HAMLIN BEACH-
LAKE ONTARIO OPEN WATERS FROM HAMLIN BEACH TO SODUS BAY-
LAKE ONTARIO OPEN WATERS FROM SODUS BAY TO MEXICO BAY-
LAKE ONTARIO OPEN WATERS FROM MEXICO BAY TO THE SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER-
SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER FROM CAPE VINCENT TO OGDENSBURG-
SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER FROM OGDENSBURG TO SAINT REGIS-
502 AM EDT SAT MAY 28 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEW YORK WATERS OF LAKE
ERIE...LAKE ONTARIO...AND THE SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES...
AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN
BUFFALO CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BUF

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
202 PM EDT SAT MAY 28 2016

NYZ003-004-013-014-281845-
ONTARIO-LIVINGSTON-WAYNE-MONROE-
202 PM EDT SAT MAY 28 2016

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO...
NORTHEASTERN LIVINGSTON...SOUTHWESTERN WAYNE AND SOUTHEASTERN MONROE
COUNTIES...

AT 201 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR HONEOYE
FALLS AND MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

PEA SIZE HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
FAIRPORT...HENRIETTA...VICTOR...HONEOYE FALLS...FARMINGTON...MENDON...WEST
BLOOMFIELD...MANCHESTER...MACEDON AND SHORTSVILLE.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 90 BETWEEN EXITS 45 AND 44.

VERY HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY CAUSE
LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED
ROADWAYS.

FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM.
LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 10 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE
SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE.

LAT...LON 4290 7759 4305 7764 4315 7732 4293 7722
TIME...MOT...LOC 1801Z 255DEG 8KT 4299 7754

REYNOLDS