235 
FXUS61 KALY 201719
AFDALY

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Albany NY
119 PM EDT Sun Sep 20 2026

.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
Temperatures earlier tonight dropped several degrees below the 
previous forecast for northern areas where skies remained clear, but 
advancing mid-level clouds are now blanketing the area and temps 
should hold steady or rise through the next several hours. Minor 
reduction to expected QPF today, but still expecting widespread rain 
for most of the day. Latest guidance has delayed any potential 
impacts from a coastal low from late this week into next 
weekend.

&&

.KEY MESSAGES...
1) Widespread light to moderate rain expected area-wide today, 
with no flood concerns expected.

2) A coastal storm will track near the East Coast late next week, 
but confidence remains low on whether we will see impacts from this 
system at this time.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGE 1...As of 2:30 AM EDT...Clear skies and calm winds 
across the N/NE third of our region allowed for temperatures to 
drop into the low 40s with patchy fog earlier tonight, but 
advancing mid-level cloud shield seen on GOES 16 nighttime 
microphysics RGB satellite product is keeping temperatures much 
warmer (mid 50s) for the rest of the region. Temps should pretty
much hold steady through the rest of the night. 

While current radar shows some very light scattered showers across 
the region, most of this is not reaching the ground due to low/mid-
level dry air. However, shower coverage will increase towards 
sunrise as a inverted sfc trough currently located over Ohio forms a 
closed sfc low and tracks across PA later today. Strengthening LLJ 
with this system will help lift a mid-level warm front across the 
southern portion of our region, although the sfc front remains to 
our south. Surging low to mid-level moisture, already seen to our 
west on CIRA ALPW satellite imagery, will be lifted up and over the 
front, resulting in widespread stratiform rain across the region for 
most of the day. The right entrance of the upper jet to our north 
will also help to enhance lift and allow the precip shield to spread 
northwards. Highs today will struggle to make it out of the 50s for 
most areas.

Total rainfall amounts have come down slightly since the previous 
forecast, but a general half inch to inch is expected for most of 
the area, with the higher amounts across the Catskills, Mid 
Hudson Valley, and western CT which will be closer to the better
mid-level warm advection and isentropic lift. Given lack of 
instability, rainfall rates will only be on the order of 0.1 to 
briefly 0.25" per hour, so we are not concerned about any 
flooding issues. In fact, this rainfall will be largely 
beneficial as much of the region is actually running slightly 
below normal for precip over the past 30 days or so. 

Rain tapers to showers this evening/early tonight as the sfc low 
tracks off to the E/SE of our region and a strong 1030+ mb sfc high 
builds into southern Canada. This will help push a cold frontal 
boundary to the south of our region, where it will stall for the 
first half of the week. With the sfc high continuing to
strengthen beneath confluent flow aloft, mainly dry weather is 
expected for the first half of the week, although a few showers 
could reach as far north as southern Ulster/Dutchess/Litchfield 
Counties Tuesday as an upper disturbance tracks south of our 
region. With persistent E/NE flow, temperatures will run below 
normal through the first half of the week, giving us a prolonged
taste of fall weather. Highs each day will only be in the 50s 
to 60s and lows each night in the 30s to 40s. 


KEY MESSAGE 2...By the middle to end of the week, anticyclonic 
wave breaking leads to the development of a Rex Block pattern, 
with a closed upper low sliding to the south of our region. As 
it emerges over the Atlantic, coastal cyclogenesis will occur 
with the resulting sfc low tracking somewhere off the east 
coast. Latest guidance now keeps our area dry through the end of
the week, with any potential rain from this coastal low delayed
until next weekend. Guidance tends to struggle with these 
blocky flow patterns, and so confidence for this time period 
remains quite low. Additional changes to the forecast late-week 
should be expected. Nevertheless, given that this potential 
coastal low looks to be quite moisture- laden, we will continue 
to monitor closely. If we do see any rain from this system, the 
most likely areas would be the Mid Hudson Valley and/or 
southwestern New England.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
Steady light rain, drizzle and mist has been ongoing at all TAF
sites so far today, but radar imagery shows the back edge of the
steadiest rainfall will be moving through the area over the next
few hours. While some light rain will still linger through about
20z-22z, most areas will be done with rainfall by the late
afternoon or early evening hours. Will still mention IFR
visibility within light rain/mist through that time for all
sites. Once rain ends, lingering low level moisture and low
clouds will still keep IFR ceilings around into the first part
of tonight for all TAF sites, with bkn-ovc cigs around 800-1200
ft. Some mist is still possible through the late evening hours
as well, with visibility generally in the 2-4SM range.  

Some improvement is expected by the late night hours as drier
air works into the region thanks to a northerly breeze behind a
cold frontal boundary. Visibility should improve back above 6 SM
by the late night (after 07z-08z) thanks to the drying breeze, 
but it may take low clouds until daybreak to scour out, 
especially for sites like KGFL and KPSF, where the local terrain
will keep the low clouds in place. After daybreak, all sites 
should be back to VFR with just few lingering low clouds and 
some passing cirrus clouds, along with a northerly breeze at 
5-10 kts. Dry and clear weather is expected through the entire 
day on Monday with continued VFR conditions for all sites. 

Outlook...

Monday Night: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX.
Tuesday: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX.
Tuesday Night: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX.
Wednesday: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX.
Wednesday Night: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX.
Thursday: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX.
Thursday Night: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX.
Friday: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX.



&&

.ALY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CT...None.
NY...None.
MA...None.
VT...None.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...35
AVIATION...27