Moderate to heavy rain is falling across the entire Finger Lakes region at midday, and Tompkins County is under an active Flash Flood Warning through 2:45 PM this afternoon. Ithaca is picking up moderate rain at 76°F — the moist environment fueling this system is exceptional, with atmospheric moisture levels high enough that repeated rounds of heavy rainfall are producing runoff faster than soils can absorb it. The Cayuga Inlet gauge at Ithaca is already elevated at 4.34 feet.
The setup: a broad surface low anchored near southern Ontario is edging eastward this afternoon, keeping widespread showers and embedded thunderstorms across the region through tonight. The heaviest rainfall threat gradually shifts east as the evening progresses, but additional accumulations remain possible regionwide through Wednesday. Skies don’t clear meaningfully until Friday, with highs returning to the low 80s by the weekend.
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.