First Alert Forecast: Windy and warm Wednesday

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – We enjoyed a lovely Valentine’s Day with calm weather and blue skies. Our weather will turn a little more interesting on Wednesday, with a warming wind whipping in. The breeze will begin to pick up overnight Tuesday, and temperatures will actually rise slightly by Wednesday morning. Outside of a brief passing shower early Wednesday, we should remain dry. Temperatures will climb into the lower to mid 60s by Wednesday early afternoon, thanks in part to a busy southwesterly wind. Winds will gust to near 50 mph, primarily west of Rochester, with some gusts to 40 mph closer to Rochester. Some of the hilltops of the Finger Lakes will also experience a gustier wind, with some gusts near 45-50 mph there, especially during the afternoon. The record high for Wednesday’s date sits at 61 degrees, and we’re forecasting a high of 62. So, there’s a good chance we’ll feel record warmth, and a little bit of sunshine to go with it.

Thursday starts to go downhill. We have a boundary essentially overhead, splitting our forecast area between warmth in the Southern Tier, and more of a winter chill closer to Lake Ontario. Some rain will develop later in the afternoon and evening as our next wave of low pressure moves in. This will bring a gusty wind and falling temperatures, along with rain over to snow showers on Friday. We don’t expect any real accumulation, aside from a fresh dusting on the ground on Friday.

This weekend looks pretty nice, with 30s on Saturday, 40s on Sunday, and a little sun both days.