Drizzle across much of the region this evening is actually the quieter part of today’s story — the Weather Center has been tracking a line of strong to severe thunderstorms developing to our west all afternoon, and that system is the one worth watching as we head into tonight.
The morning brought its own round of storms across the Southern Tier, with gusty winds, downed trees, and small hail reported. That activity outran the strongest instability and left a swath of stratiform drizzle hanging over the southern lakes through the afternoon — which is why Bath and Auburn are reading light drizzle at 77–78°F right now while Watkins Glen and Corning have broken into partly cloudy skies. Temperatures topped out near 80° across most of the region, with Ithaca reaching 83°.
The concern going into this evening is a fresh cluster of thunderstorms developing over eastern Michigan and southwestern Ontario, where atmospheric energy has been rebuilding behind clearing skies. The NWS Buffalo office has flagged strong winds as the primary hazard with these storms as they track east toward the Finger Lakes. Those who have outdoor evening plans should keep a close eye on the sky and have an indoor option ready. The most active window is expected to run through roughly 10 PM.
After the front clears overnight, Wednesday looks noticeably different: cooler, with a high near 69° in Geneva and only a slim lingering shower chance. Thursday moderates to 75°, and by Friday conditions turn quite nice, with highs returning to 80° under mainly clear skies. The weekend introduces another round of moisture — Saturday carries a 49% precipitation chance with highs near 82°, carrying into a drizzly Sunday.
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.