Albany is forecast to get a brief, mild reprieve Friday before a wetter Saturday. The high Friday is forecast to reach 66 degrees. Saturday is expected to bring likely showers, with rainfall totals of about a quarter-inch to a half-inch in many areas.
The rain is a reason to keep Saturday outdoor plans flexible. Showers may continue Saturday night as temperatures fall to around 43. Sunday is forecast to be partly sunny.
What the rain forecast does—and does not—say
A wet forecast can raise questions about local waterways, but the available information does not say that this weekend’s rain will cause a sewer overflow. Albany’s June 30, 2011 Albany Pool Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plan explains that combined sewer overflows can occur when rain or other runoff overwhelms a system, sending sewage to receiving waters rather than a wastewater treatment plant. Separately, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation records say the Albany Water Board operates 13 outfalls that may discharge combined sewer overflows to the Hudson River and the Krum Kill during wet weather.
The scale of a past regional flood offers context, not a prediction for this weekend. The National Weather Service Albany flood history records flooding across eastern New York and adjacent western New England during the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee on September 5–8, 2011, after saturated conditions and rainfall amounts of just over 2 inches to 9 inches. That event involved substantially more rain than the quarter-inch to half-inch forecast for Albany this Saturday, and does not indicate flooding is expected now.
Cooler air follows the weekend rain
Friday night is forecast to be mostly cloudy, with northwest winds and a low around 49. After Sunday, Monday is expected to be mostly sunny with a high near 54. Tuesday's high is forecast near 66. The forecast calls for a low near 57 Wednesday night. No watches, warnings or advisories are currently posted for the Albany area.
