2024 NY State Fair opening day could see lake effect -- rain, that is

Syracuse, N.Y. -- These two iconic Central New York events don’t usually happen simultaneously: the New York State Fair and lake effect.

This year, they do. Lake effect rain -- yes, that’s a real thing -- could bring light showers to the fair’s opening day Wednesday.

“You read that correctly, a lake effect influence in August,” said the National Weather Service.

That’s because an abnormally cold air mass for this time of year will push into Upstate New York on Wednesday. Temperatures could be 10 to 15 degrees below normal.

The high on Wednesday in Syracuse is expected to reach just 65 degrees, according to the weather service. The normal high for Aug. 21 is 80.

The greatest chances for rain Wednesday will be in the morning and early afternoon. Gates open at 10 a.m.

Only a tenth of an inch is expected, but it could be enough to get your T-shirt damp as you dash from building to building.

Rain isn’t unusual for the state fair, but lake effect rain is. That generally happens in the fall, when upper air temperatures drop faster than the temperature of the lakes.

Lake effect rain, like its better known counterpart, lake effect snow, is produced by cold air blowing over relatively warmer lakes.

On Wednesday, the temperature in the mid-atmosphere will be about 37 degrees -- “chilly for this date,” the weather service said. Lake Ontario is about 68 degrees. That 31-degree gap is enough for lake water to evaporate and be blown onto shore as rain.

After Wednesday, clear skies and warmer temperatures will dominate the rest of the week and weekend. Expect partly cloudy to mostly sunny conditions Thursday through Sunday.

Temperatures will climb, too, from a high of about 74 on Thursday to 84 on Sunday.