Strong gusty winds and soaking rainfall put a damper on the first half of the weekend. Winds whipped up to 45mph at Fort Drum Airbase in Jefferson County and took a tree down into a house in Skaneateles. The strongest wind recorded Saturday at the Syracuse airport was only 33mph. Our windy conditions were part of a large storm system producing violent storms with tornadoes over the southeast and mid-Atlantic.
While widespread damage was uncommon in Central New York, it was blustery enough for the National Weather Service to issue wind advisories and high wind warnings for parts of the region. Air traffic was not directly affected out the Syracuse Hancock Airport; however several planes on route to east coast cities, where severe weather took place, were diverted to the airport.
Winds will be coming down for the overnight, but don’t plan any outdoor picnics on Sunday. The storm system responsible for the winds Saturday will be rapidly moving away to the northeast and also strengthening. This could produce even stronger winds for Sunday, especially at higher elevations. My forecast is for a westerly wind of 20-35mph with gusts to 55mph. Additional watches, advisories or warnings may be issued as we go through the rest of the overnight and daytime Sunday. Stay tuned to the CNYcentral televisions stations and CNYcentral.com/weather for the latest on the forecast and weather alerts.
