Surface Data

Current Surface Observations

Click on the map to go to SPC's Mesoscale Analysis for this sector.

Current Observations

The table below shows selected observations from around the area. Clicking on the location name will open another page displaying data for that site for the past 7 days.

Location	Sky/Weather	Temperature	Dewpoint Temperature	Relative Humidity	Wind	Pressure	Remarks
Binghamton, NY	PTCLDY	65	45	48	S5	29.93S
Cortland, NY	CLOUDY	59	48	67	CALM	29.91S
Dansville, NY	NOT AVBL
Elmira, NY	MOCLDY	59	51	75	CALM	29.89S
Ithaca, NY	PTCLDY	65	48	54	SE7	29.91S
Monticello, NY	NOT AVBL
Penn Yan, NY	PTCLDY	59	53	80	CALM	29.88F
Rome, NY	MOCLDY	57	50	77	E5	29.90F
Syracuse, NY	MOCLDY	63	55	75	E6	29.87S
Hazleton, PA	PTCLDY	59	46	63	CALM	30.00S
Scranton, PA	MOCLDY	65	49	56	E5	29.94R

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Current Observed Graphic DescriptionsShow HelpClose Help

Temperature - A measure of the warmth of the ambient air measured by a suitable instrument such as a thermometer.
Dew Point (Dew-Point Temperature) - A measure of atmospheric moisture. The temperature to which air must be cooled, at constant pressure and moisture content, in order for saturation to occur. The higher the dew point, the greater amount of water vapor in the air mass.

Wind - The horizontal motion of the air past a given point. Winds begin with differences in air pressures. Pressure that's higher at one place than another sets up a force pushing from the high toward the low pressure. The greater the difference in pressures, the stronger the force. The distance between the area of high pressure and the area of low pressure also determines how fast the moving air is accelerated. Meteorologists refer to the force that starts the wind flowing as the "pressure gradient force." High and low pressure are relative. There's no set number that divides high and low pressure. Wind is used to describe the prevailing direction from which the wind is blowing with the speed given usually in miles per hour or knots.

Sustained Wind Speed	Descriptive Term
40 mph or greater	Strong, dangerous, or damaging
30-40 mph	Very Windy
20-30 mph	Windy
15-25 mph	Breezy, Brisk, or Blustery
5-15 mph or 10-20 mph	None
0-5 mph	Light or light and variable wind

Relative Humidity - A dimensionless ratio, expressed in percent, of the amount of atmospheric moisture present relative to the amount that would be present if the air were saturated. Since the latter amount is dependent on temperature, relative humidity is a function of both moisture content and temperature. As such, relative humidity by itself does not directly indicate the actual amount of atmospheric moisture present.

Apparent Temperature - Heat Index - The apparent temperature is used to show heat index. Heat index is an accurate measure of how hot it really feels when the Relative Humidity (RH) is added to the actual air temperature. To find the Heat Index (HI), look at the Heat Index (HI) Chart. As an example, if the air temperature is 90°F (found at the left side of the table) and the Relative Humidity (RH) is 70% (found at the top of the table), the Heat Index (HI)--or how hot it actually feels--is 106°F. This is at the intersection of the row 90°F and the 70% column. This index was devised for shady, light wind conditions. Exposure to full sunshine can increase Heat Index (HI) values by up to 15°F. Also strong winds, particularly with very hot, dry air, can be extremely dangerous. Any value Heat Index (HI) greater than 105°F is in the Danger Category.

Category	Classification	Heat Index/Apparent Temperature (°F)	General Affect on People in High Risk Groups
IV	Extremely Hot	130°F or Higher	Heat/Sunstroke HIGHLY LIKELY with continued exposure
III	Very Hot	105°F - 130°F	Sunstroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion LIKELY, and heatstroke POSSIBLE with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity
II	Hot	90°F - 105°F	Sunstroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion POSSIBLE with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity
I	Very Warm	80°F - 90°F	Fatigue POSSIBLE with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity

Apparent Temperature - Wind Chill - The Apparent temperature is used to show wind chill. The wind chill temperature is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold and is to give you an approximation of how cold the air feels on your body. As the wind increases, it removes heat from the body, driving down skin temperature and eventually the internal body temperature. Therefore, the wind makes it FEEL much colder. If the temperature is 0°F and the wind is blowing at 15 mph, the wind chill temperature is -19°F. At this level, exposed skin can freeze in just a few minutes. The only effect wind chill has on inanimate objects, such as car radiators and water pipes, is to shorten the amount of time for the object to cool. The inanimate object will not cool below the actual air temperature. For example, if the temperature outside is -5°F and the wind chill temperature is -31°F, then your car's radiator temperature will be no lower than the air temperature of -5°F.