The number I keep coming back to this evening is 98° — Watkins Glen’s reading at 6 PM, still climbing after a day that never really cooled. With the Extreme Heat Warnings from both NWS Buffalo and NWS Binghamton blanketing virtually every county in the Finger Lakes and running until Friday at 8 PM, this isn’t a story about tonight — it’s about how long this ridge holds.
Overnight lows will offer little real relief. Temperatures are expected to drop only into the mid-to-upper 70s across most of the region, with Geneva holding near 74° and Canandaigua not much better at 78°. That kind of overnight warmth is genuinely dangerous for anyone without air conditioning — heat stress can compound through a second consecutive night without a break.
Scattered rain showers are moving through portions of the region this evening — a Special Weather Statement for Tompkins and Cortland Counties was in effect until 6:30 PM — but don’t read much into any of that moisture. It’s not a front. The dominant upper-level ridge anchored over the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic isn’t going anywhere before Friday, and NWS Buffalo is keeping 850-millibar temperatures in the upper range through Thursday. Expect another round of mid-to-upper 90s tomorrow, with heat index values pushing well above 100°.
The slow fade begins Friday and carries into Saturday, when Independence Day arrives with highs closer to 85° in Geneva — still warm, but a step down. Fireworks visibility looks manageable, though drizzle chances are in the forecast through the holiday weekend. Enjoy the relative break — the first half of this week has been no small thing.
Weather Center forecast for the Finger Lakes region. Sourced from NWS, Open-Meteo, NWS Area Forecast Discussion, and USGS stream-flow data. Updated 6 AM, noon, and 6 PM ET.