Syracuse, N.Y. -- Upstate New York is likely to get some rain again this week, but likely not the flooding downpours that hit over the weekend.
The best chances for rain are Tuesday, when isolated thunderstorms could drop pockets of heavy rain.
“Scattered showers and thunderstorms are forecast to move into the area late Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night into early Wednesday,” the National Weather Service said. “With soils still very wet from recent bouts of rain, isolated flooding will be possible. Locations that already experienced flooding in recent days, will be more vulnerable to additional rainfall.”
Areas of Western New York and the Southern Tier had several inches of rain over the weekend, causing flooding of roads and washing out some bridges. More than 4 inches fell in Chautauqua County and over 3 inches in Buffalo and Rochester. Pictures on social media show a bridge of state Route 51 broken and eroded in the town of Morris, Otsego County.
While less than a half-inch of rain is expected in most of Upstate through Wednesday, areas that get hit by thunderstorms could get much more. It won’t take much for some areas to flood. In the water-logged Southern Tier, just over a half-inch of rain in one hour could lead to flash flooding.
Rain should move out by Wednesday morning, and Upstate New York could experience something that hasn’t happened in a month: three dry days in row. Thursday, Friday and Saturday are expected to be sunny to partly cloudy, with temperatures in the high 70s, a few degrees lower than normal. Showers and thunderstorms return to the forecast on Sunday.
Late July, generally the hottest time of year for Upstate, is expected to be slightly cooler than normal.