Hudson Valley Graduation Forecast Leaves Residents On Edge

Thousands of Hudson Valley families are preparing for graduation ceremonies, but a changing weather forecast could force some schools to rethink their plans.

Planned high school graduations across the Hudson Valley may be impacted by bad weather.

On Wednesday, while speaking with a retiring teacher from Newburgh, she expressed concern about the rest of this week's weather forecast, forcing school officials to change plans for the upcoming high school graduations.

Hudson Valley Graduations-Cast Issued

Because of the upcoming weather, local weather expert Ben Noll released his graduation forecast.

"Whether or not graduation will be outside feels like the second most important weather question I get all year," Noll wrote on social media. "Second only to: Will there be a snow day tomorrow?"

Noll said Wednesday would have been the past day for a planned graduation. As I mentioned, I spent Wednesday at my pool, so Noll was right. Sadly, most graduations are planned for today (Thursday) or the next few days.

Thursday

According to Noll, early Thursday would be the best time for an outdoor graduation. That's because "scattered showers" may pop up across the region Thursday afternoon.

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"The steadiest stuff will probably hold off until nighttime, though," Noll said. "I’d peg the outdoor graduation chances at 70 to 80 percent."

Friday

Noll says "steady rain" should depart early Friday morning, leading to a "mostly" dry day.

"Given the humid, sticky air, I can’t rule out a passing shower at any time — but I think that would be the exception, not the rule," he said.

He's predicting an 80 to 90 percent chance for outdoor graduations on Friday.

Saturday

Saturday is where it gets "tricky." As of this writing, Noll says there's a 50 percent chance of outdoor graduations.

"A rain band could graze the region or pass by to the south," Noll added. "If it grazes the region, that could unfortunately spell indoor graduations."