Syracuse, N.Y. -- A brief visit to Upstate New York by summerlike temperature could also feature another common summer weather feature: severe thunderstorms.
The forecast looks favorable for storms on Wednesday afternoon, with high humidity, temperatures in the 70s, and a cold front sweeping across the Great Lakes.
“Showers and some thunderstorms are expected Wednesday afternoon to early evening as a disturbances passes,” said the National Weather Service in issuing a hazardous weather outlook. “A few storms could become severe with isolated damaging winds.”
The hazardous weather alert is for all of Upstate west of Herkimer County.
The Storm Prediction Center, a branch of the weather service, puts that area in the “marginal” category for severe storms Wednesday, which means there’s a 5% chance of storms with winds of 58 mph and/or 1-inch hail.
Storms would hit Western New York in the morning, and Central New York in late afternoon. Rainfall is likely to range from less than a quarter-inch in the Hudson Valley to about half an inch in Western New York.
High temperatures are expected to be in the low 70s across much of Upstate, a downgrade from the high 70s or low 80s forecast a couple of days ago. That’s still 10 to 15 degrees above normal for late April.
Temperatures drop gradually throughout the week, with highs in the upper 60s on Thursday and the mid 50s by Friday and Saturday. Another warmup starts Sunday, and by Monday much of Upstate could be back in the 70s.
There's a 5% chance of severe thunderstorms in much of Upstate New York on Wednesday. A severe storm has winds of at least 60 mph and/or 1-inch hail.