I’m watching temperatures continue to climb this afternoon — and honestly, it’s running a bit warmer than many of us expected heading into midday. At noon, Ithaca is already touching 89°, Watkins Glen and Elmira are right there with it, and Geneva is at 85° and still rising toward a high near 87°.
Heat Advisories remain in effect across the Finger Lakes until 8 PM tonight. Worth noting: the Binghamton NWS office had a second advisory expiring at 12:30 PM for southern counties, so that coverage is now consolidating — but the heat itself isn’t going anywhere this afternoon. Heat index values are running into the lower to mid-90s across the region.
A mid-level ridge amplifying over the Great Lakes is the engine here, pushing 850 mb temperatures unusually high for early June. Drink water, limit midday exertion, and check on neighbors who may not have air conditioning.
The good news: a cold front is approaching from the west, and it will work through the region tonight into Friday, bringing scattered showers and thunderstorms and eventually knocking temperatures down. Friday stays warm — highs around 85° in Geneva — but the weekend transition cools things considerably, with highs dropping into the upper 70s Saturday and eventually the low 70s by Sunday and next week.
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.