Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY

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000
FXUS61 KBUF 251201
AFDBUF

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
701 AM EST WED NOV 25 2009

.SYNOPSIS...
A SOUTHERLY FLOW OF MILD AND RELATIVELY MOIST AIR WILL CONTINUE
ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL NEW YORK THROUGH THANKSGIVING DAY. THERE
WILL BE THE RISK OF A FEW SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON AND AGAIN ON
THURSDAY...BUT IT WILL BE DRY MOST OF THE TIME. COMPLEX LOW PRESSURE
WILL DEVELOP OVER SOUTHERN ONTARIO AND LAKE ERIE THURSDAY NIGHT AND
DEEPEN AS IT MOVES EAST AND OFF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST BY EARLY
SATURDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN AN INCREASING CHANCE OF RAIN
THANKSGIVING NIGHT WHICH MAY CHANGE TO WET SNOW OVER HIGHER
ELEVATIONS BY FRIDAY MORNING. COLDER AIR WILL FOLLOW FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY WITH DIMINISHING PRECIPITATION.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
AREA RADARS EARLY THIS MORNING SHOWING SOME PTCHY LIGHT RAIN MOVING
NORTH EARLY THIS MORNING ACROSS THE EATERN LK ONTARIO COUNTIES WITH
SOME SPOTTY DRIZZLE/LIGHT RAIN ACROSS PTNS OF THE NIAGARA FRONTIER
AND SOUTHERN TIER. WILL CARRY LOW CHC LIGHT RAIN EAST OF LK ONTARIO
EARLY THIS MORNING WITH PTHY DRIZZLE/SLT CHC R- OVER MUCH OF THE
REST OF THE REGION EARLY THIS MORNING.

SFC LOW PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL LKS ONLY SLOWLY MOVES NORTHEAST
THROUGH TONIGHT TO NORTH OF LK HURON. MEANWHILE, MID LVL SHORT WAVE
ROTATING ARND THE BASE OF THE UPPER LOW OVER LOWER MICHIGAN THIS
AFTERNOON LIFTS NE INTO WESTERN NY WITH SFC COLD FRONT MOVING TO
VCNTY OF THE GENESEE VALLEY BY THIS EVENING. WILL GRADUALLY
INCREASE THREAT OF SHWRS TO LKLY RANGE BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON OVER
THE AREA.

EXPECT HIGHS TODAY TO CONTINUE ABV NORMAL WITH HIGHS GENLY IN THE
LOW TO MID 50S.

TONIGHT, THE SFC COLD FRONT MOVES FROM TO CENTRAL NY LTR THIS
EVENING AND TO THE HUDSON VALLEY BY 12Z THU WHILE THE MID LVL SHORT
WAVE LIFTS NE ACROSS NORTHERN NY TO NORTH OF THE ST LAW VALLEY LATER
THIS EVENING. WILL KEEP CHC SHWRS THIS EVENING WITH THE HIGHEST
THREAT ACROSS THE NORTH COUNTRY ALNG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT AND
IN ASSOCIATION OF THE MID LVL SHORT WAVE. PLENTY OF LOW LVL MOISTURE
ARND TO KEEP LOTS OF CLOUDS OVER THE AREA OVERNIGHT. LOW TEMPS TNGT
SHLD RANGE FROM THE UPPER 30S ACROSS THE INTERIOR OF THE SOUTHERN
TIER TO LOWERS OVER MUCH OF THE REST OF THE AREA.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/...
THE PERIOD SHOULD START OUT DRY AS A DECENT DRY SLOT WILL WORK
NORTHWARD INTO THE AREA AHEAD OF AN AMPLIFYING UPPER TROUGH ACROSS
THE GREAT LAKES. THIS UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE GENERALLY EASTWARD
DURING THE DAY THURSDAY AND TAKE ON A NEGATIVE TILT AS IT SHIFTS TO
THE EASTERN SEABOARD. THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW OVER THE CENTRAL
LAKES WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY...BEFORE WEAKENING AND GETTING
ABSORBED INTO THE COASTAL LOW FORMING OFF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST BY
FRIDAY MORNING. THIS WHOLE SCENARIO WILL RESULT IN A COMPLICATED
PRECIPITATION EVOLUTION ACROSS THE AREA.

AFTER THE DRY START TO THANKSGIVING DAY WE WILL LIKELY SEE THE
PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT
AND FRIDAY...WITH A GENERAL DIMINISHING TREND FROM WEST TO EAST
FRIDAY NIGHT AS THE COASTAL LOW LIFTS OUT RATHER QUICKLY.

COLDER AIR WILL BE CREEPING INTO THE AREA DURING THIS TIME FRAME...
ALTHOUGH THERMAL PROFILES WOULD EASILY SUPPORT ALL RAIN FOR
THANKSGIVING DAY. THERMAL STRUCTURE WILL CHANGE BY THURSDAY NIGHT
AND EARLY FRIDAY AS BOUNDARY LAYER TEMPERATURES MOSTLY LIKELY WARM
ENOUGH FOR ALL RAIN ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA...BUT DYNAMIC COOLING
ASSOCIATED WITH AMPLIFYING UPPER SYSTEM BECOMES MORE PROBLEMATIC
ALONG THE SOUTHERN TIER...ESPECIALLY HIGHER ELEVATIONS. WE COULD SEE
A RAIN/SNOW MIX HERE WITH EVEN A CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW ACROSS SOME
OF THE HIGHER SPOTS.

PLENTY OF MOISTURE AND LIFT WILL EXIST DURING FRIDAY RESULTING IN
SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS RAIN AND WET SNOW SHOWERS. LAKE ENHANCEMENT
LOOKS LIKE A GOOD BET IN A COOLING NORTHWEST FLOW REGIME...BUT
BOUNDARY LAYER TEMPERATURES PROBABLY A BIT TOO WARM FOR MUCH IN THE
WAY OF ACCUMULATING SNOW...EVEN AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS. LAKE
ENHANCEMENT CONTINUING FRIDAY NIGHT...BUT THE COASTAL SYSTEM MAY BE
PULLING OUT TOO FAST TO GENERATE MUCH IN THE WAY OF LAKE SNOWS...
THOUGH TEMPERATURES FRIDAY NIGHT WILL BE COLD ENOUGH FOR ALL SNOW AT
HIGHER ELEVATIONS. WILL NEED TO WATCH OUT ACROSS THE TUG HILL FOR
THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME MINOR ACCUMULATIONS FRIDAY NIGHT.

&&

.LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
AS NOTED ABOVE...MODELS CLEARING SYSTEM OUT QUICKLY BY SATURDAY...
WITH GFS SHOWING A SFC RIDGE OVER AREA SATURDAY WHILE ECMWF A BIT
SLOWER AND HOLDING IT OFF UNTIL SAT NT. IN ANY CASE...WILL MAINTAIN
CHC POPS SE OF THE LAKES...AND CONTINUE INTO SAT EVE SE OF LK
ONTARIO. P-TYPE DEPENDENT ON ELEVATIONS BUT DO NOT EXPECT ANY
ACCUMS. MAINLY DRY ELSEWHERE SAT BUT CHILLY WITH MAXES IN L40S AS
850MB TROF (-5C) SWINGS THROUGH.

SUNDAY LOOKS PLEASANT AS RIDGING BUILDS IN AT ALL LEVELS. 850 MB
TEMPS SOAR TO +5C WHICH WOULD SUPPORT NR 50 WITH ANY SUN...ALWAYS A
QUESTION THIS TIME OF YEAR...BUT A DECENT DAY NONETHELESS. NEXT
SYSTEM DEEPENS OVER CENTRAL STATES MONDAY AND SLOWLY MOVES
EAST...WILL INCR CHC OF SHOWERS HERE MON AFTERNOON AS THIS FEATURE
APPROACHES AND CONTINUE THEM THROUGH TUESDAY. SHOULD BE QUITE MILD
MON AND COLDER TUES. CONFIDENCE LOW IN DETAILS AS MODELS CONTINUE TO
BUCKLE TROFS AND CLOSE THEM OFF BUT NONE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO YANK ON
ANY ARCTIC AIR AND IT DOESNT LOOK LIKE ANY WILL...AT LEAST THROUGH
THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.AVIATION /12Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
CONDITIONS WILL START OUT WITH MNLY VFR CIGS WITH SOME LOCAL MVFR
CONDITIONS AT TIMES THIS MORNING EAST OF LK ONTARIO WITH SOME AREAS
OF LIGHT RAIN. THERE WILL BE SOME LOCAL IFR CIGS ACROSS PORTIONS OF
THE SOUTHERN TIER EAST OF KJHW, TWD KELZ FOR A FEW HRS THIS MRNG.

AN AREA OF SHOWERS AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT OVER CENTRAL OHIO WILL MOVE
EAST AND BRING MAINLY MVFR CONDITIONS INTO WESTERN NY THIS AFTERNOON
WITH A FEW HRS OF SHWRS FRM ARND 17Z-21Z. THE SHWRS ARE NOT EXPECTED
TO REACH PTNS OF THE FINGER LKS TIL AFT 20Z OR SO BUT CONDITIONS ARE
NOT EXPECTED TO DROP TO MVFR TIL THIS EVNING. CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED TO BE MNLY MVFR TONIGHT OVER MUCH OF THE REGION WITH SOME
IFR CONDITIONS TWD THE END OF THE TAF PERIOD ACROSS THE SOUTHERN
TIER AND EAST OF LK ONTARIO.


OUTLOOK...
THURSDAY...VFR/MVFR. CHC SHWRS IN THE AFTERNOON WEST. SHWRS LKLY THU
NGT MIXED WITH SNOW ACROSS HIGHER TERRAIN SOUTH OF BUF WHERE
CONDITIONS WILL BE MVFR/IFR
FRIDAY...MVFR/IFR WITH RAIN LIKELY...MIXING WITH SNOW ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN TIER.
SATURDAY...VFR/MVFR. A CHANCE OF RAIN/SNOW SHWRS MAINLY E-SE OF THE
LAKES.
SUNDAY...VFR.

&&

.MARINE...
SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE AHEAD OF AN APPROACH LOW
PUSHING INTO THE GREAT LAKES TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY. FOR TJHE MKOST
PART SHOULD REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT LEVELS...ALTHOUGH WAVE
HEIGHTS APPROACHING 5 FEET ARE POSSIBLE ON LAKE ERIE FOR A BRIEF
PERIOD LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY. A SMALL CRAFT ADVSIORY MAY
EVENTUALLY NEED TO BE ISSUED AT SOME POINT LATE TONIGHT ON LAKE
ERIE.
A BETTER THREAT FOR MARINE FLAGS WILL LIKELY BE ON FRIDAY AS A
DEEPENING LOW PASSES UP TO OUR EAST. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES WILL BE
LIKELY DUE TO BRISK NORTHWESTERLIES FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY.

&&

.CLIMATE...
STILL NO MEASURABLE SNOW SO FAR THIS SEASON OVER MOST OF WESTERN NY.
WE ARE ALREADY OVER TWO WEEKS LATE (NORMAL DATES ARE NOV 7 BUF AND
NOV 8 ROC). WE WILL AT LEAST GET TO FRIDAY (27TH) AND IF SO...WILL
BE LATEST IN 61 YRS (1948) AT BUF...AND LATEST IN 46 YRS (1963) AT
ROC. THE ALL TIME RECORD LATEST DATES FOR FIRST MEASURABLE SNOW ARE
DEC 3 1899 AT BUF AND DEC 10 1948 AT ROC. WE WILL NOT LIKELY REACH
THOSE DATES AS WX PATTERN LOOKS COLDER WITH SOME SNOW THREAT
BEGINNING LATER FRIDAY.

IN ADDITION, ITS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE EITHER BUFFALO OR
ROCHESTER LAST SAW MEASURABLE SNOW. THROUGH NOV 24, BUFFALO HAS
GONE 231 DAYS WITHOUT MEASURABLE SNOW, OR SINCE APRIL 7, 2009.
THIS IS THE 5TH LONGEST STRETCH IN 125 YEARS OF RECORDS. THE
RECORD IS 277 DAYS SET BACK IN 1946. ROCHESTER IS ALSO AT 231 DAYS
WITHOUT MEASURABLE SNOW, OR THE 5TH LONGEST STRETCH THERE. THE
RECORD IS 260 DAYS SET BACK IN 1952.

&&

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

&&

$$

SYNOPSIS...TMA
NEAR TERM...JJP
SHORT TERM...TMA
LONG TERM...SFM
AVIATION...JJP
MARINE...TMA
CLIMATE...TMA/SFM







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