Stormy Start, Sunny Midweek: Your 7 Day Weather Preview
- edu.plus.weatherray Rome
- 1 day ago
- 11 min read
Showers and thunderstorms will open the period across Central New York, with the wettest windows expected today and again Monday into Monday night. The forecast then turns more settled for the middle of the week before another chance of showers arrives late Wednesday night into Thursday.
For the Syracuse area, the next seven days bring a familiar late-season pattern: warm afternoons near 80 degrees, a few rounds of rain, and enough breaks in the clouds to keep the week from feeling washed out. The main focus will be on today’s afternoon storms, Monday’s higher rain chance, and a drier stretch centered on Tuesday night and Wednesday.
Rainfall totals are expected to stay light in many spots, generally less than a tenth of an inch outside thunderstorms. Any thunderstorm can produce a quick downpour, so localized higher amounts remain possible.
Today brings the first round of showers and storms
Central New York starts the forecast period with a partly sunny sky, but rain chances increase as the day goes on. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms is in place before 2 p.m., followed by a more active window between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., when showers are likely and a thunderstorm is possible.
After 3 p.m., scattered showers and thunderstorms remain possible, though the chance becomes less certain than during the midafternoon period.
The high should reach near 83 degrees, making it one of the warmer days in the forecast. Winds will come from the southwest at 5 to 11 mph. That breeze will not be especially strong on its own, but it may help keep the air moving before storms develop.
The chance of precipitation today is 70 percent. Most new rainfall amounts should stay under a tenth of an inch. Thunderstorms could bring higher totals in brief bursts, especially where a downpour passes over the same area for more than a few minutes.
For outdoor plans, the timing matters. The morning and early afternoon may still offer usable dry periods, but the risk increases notably by midafternoon. Anyone heading to a park, lake, trail, game, festival, or backyard gathering should have a place to go if thunder is heard.
The main takeaway for today is simple: the day is not expected to be rainy from start to finish, but the afternoon carries the best chance for interruptions.
Tonight stays cloudy with a lingering thunderstorm chance
Showers and thunderstorms may linger into tonight. The forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of precipitation, with mostly cloudy conditions and a low near 65 degrees.
Winds will turn light and variable, which usually means there will not be a strong push of cooler or drier air right away. The air mass will remain mild and somewhat unsettled through the night.
Rainfall amounts again look light for most areas, generally less than a tenth of an inch. As with the daytime forecast, any thunderstorm could produce locally higher amounts.
Drivers should watch for wet roads, especially where leaves, road oil, or ponding develop after a quick downpour. Visibility can also drop fast in a thunderstorm, even when rain totals stay modest.
If thunder is close enough to hear, lightning is close enough to be a concern. Move indoors or into a hard-topped vehicle until the storm passes.
The overnight period does not look like the main event of the week, but it keeps the unsettled pattern in place heading into Sunday.
Sunday offers a better break in the weather
Sunday looks like the first clear improvement in the forecast. The day starts partly sunny, then gradually becomes sunny. The high should reach near 81 degrees, keeping temperatures warm but a touch lower than today.
A west wind of 6 to 9 mph will help shift the pattern. With the rain chance dropping out of the daytime forecast, Sunday should be the better weekend day for outdoor plans.
That makes Sunday useful for activities that are harder to fit between showers:
Yard work that needs dry grass or dry pavement
A walk, run, or bike ride
Outdoor dining
Youth sports or casual recreation
Quick errands before the next wet period arrives Monday
Sunday night brings increasing clouds, with a low around 60 degrees. Winds should be calm. That cloud increase will be an early sign of the next round of unsettled weather moving toward the region.
The night itself looks quiet in the current forecast, but the setup points toward changes on Monday.
Monday becomes the wettest day in the outlook
Monday is the day to watch most closely. The forecast calls for a chance of showers early, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m. The chance of precipitation rises to 80 percent, the highest daytime rain chance in the seven-day outlook.
The high should reach near 82 degrees. Winds will start light and variable, then become southwest at 5 to 7 mph during the afternoon.
The timing resembles today in one key respect: the afternoon appears more active than the morning. That could allow some dry time early in the day, but conditions are expected to trend wetter later.
For commuters, Monday’s later-day rain chance may matter more for the trip home than the trip in. For crews working outdoors, school activities, construction, landscaping, deliveries, and recreation leagues, the afternoon and evening period deserves attention.
Monday night continues the wet pattern. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm are expected before 11 p.m., followed by likely showers. The chance of precipitation remains 80 percent, with a low around 63 degrees.
This is the best chance in the forecast for a more widespread wet period. While the available forecast does not point to large guaranteed rainfall totals, repeated showers or a thunderstorm could still create pockets of heavier rain.
Low-lying spots, poor-drainage areas, and roads that commonly collect water during thunderstorms may need extra caution Monday afternoon and Monday night.
Tuesday starts damp, then begins to improve
The weather pattern starts to ease on Tuesday. A chance of showers remains before 8 a.m., with a 30 percent chance of precipitation. After that, the forecast turns partly sunny, with a high near 80 degrees.
That puts Tuesday in a transition role. It may not begin perfectly dry, especially for early commuters, but it should improve after the first part of the morning.
Tuesday night looks more comfortable and quieter. Skies turn partly cloudy, and the low should fall to around 59 degrees. That is one of the cooler nights in the forecast, and it sets up the most settled stretch of the week.
For planning purposes, Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night look far more reliable than Monday. Still, any outdoor work early Tuesday should allow for leftover wet grass, damp pavement, or brief morning showers.
By Tuesday night, the pattern should feel noticeably calmer.
Wednesday is the best midweek weather window
Wednesday stands out as the brightest day in the current forecast. Skies should be mostly sunny, with a high near 80 degrees.
That makes Wednesday the best candidate for outdoor plans that need dependable weather. It is also likely to be the most comfortable day for longer stretches outside, with sunshine, seasonable warmth, and no daytime rain chance listed.
For Central New York, a mostly sunny day near 80 degrees is a useful break between wet systems. It gives residents, road crews, parks staff, and event organizers a chance to catch up after the unsettled start to the week.
Wednesday night remains partly cloudy at first, with a low around 59 degrees. A chance of showers arrives after 2 a.m., with a precipitation chance of 30 percent.
That late-night shower chance does not take away from Wednesday’s daytime improvement, but it does point to a shift back toward unsettled weather before Thursday.
Thursday turns unsettled again
The next shower chance arrives Thursday. The forecast calls for partly sunny skies, a high near 78 degrees, and a 50 percent chance of showers.
Compared with Monday, Thursday’s rain chance is lower. Still, it is enough to affect outdoor plans, especially if showers line up during the afternoon or evening. The forecast does not specify thunderstorms for Thursday at this point, but showers remain possible.
Thursday night stays mostly cloudy, with a low around 57 degrees. A chance of showers continues, with precipitation odds at 30 percent.
That low near 57 degrees would be the coolest night in the seven-day outlook. It may feel more refreshing after several warmer and more humid periods earlier in the week.
For any late-week plans, Thursday looks like a day to keep rain gear nearby rather than a day to cancel plans far in advance. The shower chance is meaningful, but it is not as high as Monday.
Friday looks drier and cooler
Friday brings a return to mostly sunny weather, with a high near 74 degrees. That is the coolest daytime high in the forecast period and likely the most comfortable for those who prefer mild weather over warmth.
The forecast does not include a rain chance for Friday. If that holds, the day will offer a cleaner finish to a week that begins stormy and turns active again around Monday.
Friday’s mostly sunny sky and cooler high could also help dry out lawns, fields, trails, and roads after the week’s shower chances. It should feel less humid if drier air has worked into the region by then.
For weekend planners looking beyond the seven-day window, Friday’s improvement is a positive sign. More forecast updates will be needed before making firm plans for the following weekend, but the end of this forecast period looks calm.
The seven-day forecast at a glance
Period | Forecast | High or low | Rain chance |
Today | Partly sunny, showers likely and possible thunderstorm mainly during the afternoon | High near 83 | 70% |
Tonight | Mostly cloudy, chance of showers and thunderstorms | Low around 65 | 40% |
Sunday | Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny | High near 81 | Not listed |
Sunday night | Increasing clouds | Low around 60 | Not listed |
Monday | Chance of showers, then showers and possible thunderstorm after 2 p.m. | High near 82 | 80% |
Monday night | Showers and possible thunderstorm before 11 p.m., then showers likely | Low around 63 | 80% |
Tuesday | Chance of showers before 8 a.m., then partly sunny | High near 80 | 30% |
Tuesday night | Partly cloudy | Low around 59 | Not listed |
Wednesday | Mostly sunny | High near 80 | Not listed |
Wednesday night | Partly cloudy, chance of showers after 2 a.m. | Low around 59 | 30% |
Thursday | Partly sunny, chance of showers | High near 78 | 50% |
Thursday night | Mostly cloudy, chance of showers | Low around 57 | 30% |
Friday | Mostly sunny | High near 74 | Not listed |
What the numbers mean for daily plans
This forecast does not show a long stretch of all-day rain. Instead, it points to several windows of showers and thunderstorms, with drier breaks in between.
The most active periods are:
Today afternoon
Tonight
Monday afternoon
Monday night
Late Wednesday night into Thursday
The best dry windows are:
Sunday afternoon
Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night
Wednesday during the day
Friday
That pattern matters because many plans do not need a perfect forecast. They need a reliable window. A short walk, quick yard cleanup, or trip to the market can fit between showers. A longer outdoor event needs more caution, especially today and Monday.
The temperature trend stays steady through the first half of the week. Highs hold near 80 to 83 degrees from today through Wednesday. Readings then ease to the upper 70s Thursday and the mid-70s Friday.
Nighttime lows also step down through the week. Tonight stays mild near 65. Monday night remains in the lower 60s. By Thursday night, lows fall into the upper 50s.
That slow cooling trend will be most noticeable after sunset and early in the morning.
Rainfall looks light for most, but thunderstorms can change that fast
The forecast mentions new rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch today and tonight, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. That is a key detail.
A tenth of an inch is not much rain over a full day. It can dampen roads, lawns, and sidewalks, but it is not usually enough to cause major issues on its own.
Thunderstorms are different. A single storm can drop rain quickly over a small area while a nearby neighborhood gets very little. That is why the forecast can call for generally light totals while still warning that higher amounts are possible in thunderstorms.
The same idea applies to outdoor impacts. One town may see a brief shower and move on. Another may get thunder, gusty winds, ponding on roads, and a quick downpour during the same hour.
That uneven coverage is common in warm-season weather across Central New York. It also makes radar and sky conditions useful during the day. If clouds build quickly, skies darken to the west or southwest, or thunder is heard, plans should shift indoors.
Commuters should watch the afternoon and evening periods
The morning commute today may avoid the steadiest activity, but the afternoon and early evening look more vulnerable to showers and thunderstorms. Monday brings a similar concern, with showers and possible thunder after 2 p.m. and more wet weather Monday night.
Wet roads can create delays even when storms are not severe. Sudden downpours reduce visibility, and water can collect near curbs, underpasses, and older drainage areas.
For school buses, evening classes, recreational sports, and after-work errands, Monday’s timing may be the trickiest of the week. Rain chances remain high into Monday night, so late-day plans should not count on a quick clearing trend.
Tuesday morning could still begin with a few showers before 8 a.m. After that, conditions should improve.
Thursday’s shower chance may also affect travel, but the current forecast does not make it look as widespread as Monday.
Outdoor events should build in a weather backup plan
The forecast is not asking for a full stop to outdoor plans. It is asking for flexibility.
Today and Monday carry the strongest signal for weather interruptions. Thunderstorms are possible, and rain chances are high enough that outdoor organizers should have a backup plan ready.
For smaller plans, that may mean checking the timing before heading out. For larger plans, it may mean identifying shelter, adjusting start times, protecting equipment, or keeping an eye on any updated statements from local forecasters.
The most useful planning approach is to match the activity to the weather window:
Better fit | Riskier fit |
Sunday afternoon yard work | Monday afternoon outdoor setup |
Wednesday daytime recreation | Today midafternoon sports |
Friday errands or outdoor lunch | Monday night outdoor events |
Tuesday evening walk | Thursday plans with no rain backup |
Thunderstorms also bring lightning concerns. Even a brief thunderstorm can make open fields, lakes, pools, metal bleachers, and exposed high spots unsafe.
Rain is an inconvenience. Lightning is the reason to stop outdoor activity right away.
Central New York stays warm before a cooler finish
Temperatures remain fairly steady for most of the period. Today reaches near 83, Monday near 82, and Sunday near 81. Tuesday and Wednesday hold near 80.
That warmth supports afternoon shower and thunderstorm development when enough moisture and lift are present. It also means the air may feel a little muggy at times, especially before rain arrives.
By Thursday and Friday, highs begin to ease. Thursday reaches near 78, and Friday tops out near 74. Those readings are still comfortable, but they suggest a modest shift toward cooler air.
The nights follow the same pattern. Lows fall from the mid-60s tonight to near 60 Sunday night, lower 60s Monday night, upper 50s Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and near 57 Thursday night.
That is a gradual change, not a sharp cold snap. Still, it should make late-week mornings feel fresher.
What comes next
The key forecast updates to watch will be the exact timing of Monday’s showers and thunderstorms, along with any changes to Thursday’s rain chance. Those two periods have the greatest potential to affect schedules after today’s storm chance passes.
For now, the message is clear: Central New York begins with unsettled weather, gets a strong Sunday break, turns wet again Monday, then settles into a brighter midweek.
The Sunny Midweek part of the forecast looks most promising on Wednesday, while Friday offers a cooler and mostly sunny finish. Keep rain gear close today and Monday, use Sunday and Wednesday for the most weather-sensitive plans, and expect a few changes as the next systems move through.
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