Opening day of 2024 New York State Fair likely to be the coolest in 37 years

Syracuse, N.Y. — If you’re a die-hard fan of opening day of the New York State Fair, you’ll probably want to pack a jacket and umbrella on Wednesday.

The high temperature is expected to be 64 degrees Wednesday afternoon. The fair hasn’t seen an opening day that cool since 1987. Normal temperature for Aug. 21 is 80 degrees.

“We’re actually in a very cool, chilly pattern, and we’re expecting some showers tomorrow,” Dave Nicosia, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said Tuesday. “You’re talking low 60s at the fair, up to 10 mile an hour winds, and it’s likely going to be wet at times.

“It’s not going to be an ideal.”

The good news is that after Wednesday, the weather keeps getting sunnier and warmer. The high will be in the 70s on Thursday and will approach the mid 80s by Saturday and Sunday. There’s no rain in the forecast beyond some lingering showers early Thursday.

“By the weekend, it’s going to be gorgeous,” Nicosia said.

The odds are good that the next two weeks will be warmer than normal for most of the continental U.S., including New York. according to the weather service.

The fair ends on Labor Day.