That thick, drizzly air sitting over the region right now is only the appetizer — the main event arrives this afternoon and I’d take it seriously. Geneva is at 78° in dense drizzle midday, and the smoke that’s been fogging up the sky since yesterday is already triggering Air Quality Alerts across essentially every county in the Finger Lakes footprint through midnight tonight.
But the bigger story is timing your afternoon around thunderstorms. NWS Buffalo has placed the entire region under an Enhanced Risk — that’s a 3-of-5 on the severe scale — as a strong low deepens and tracks from Lake Superior toward Quebec. Storms capable of damaging winds and locally heavy rain are expected to develop through the afternoon hours, with the threat continuing into the evening. Get outdoor plans wrapped up before 3 PM if you can.
The air quality picture should gradually improve through the afternoon as the warm front lifts smoke northward, though the storm threat complicates things — keep windows closed and air purifiers running until both hazards clear.
Sunday brings quick relief: skies clear to overcast, highs drop to a comfortable 73°, and the severe threat is gone. Drier and more pleasant conditions settle in for Monday.
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.