Skies to part and dry out as Sabres host Canadiens for game one

After hours of steady rain and soggy conditions across the Buffalo Niagara region late Tuesday into Wednesday, improvement is in the forecast as Wednesday wears on and faceoff between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens in downtown Buffalo approaches.

After a steady and soaking rainfall through the morning hours, National Weather Service forecasters say rain will taper off from west to east with nearly all the rain east of the area by early afternoon.

"We'll see some improvement late this afternoon as the rain tapers off from west to east," NWS meteorologist Aaron Reynolds tells WBEN. "For this evening we should have just a few showers around the area, but for the most part, we'll see mainly dry conditions."

Temperatures for gametime and those who may be gathering outside for the Party in the Plaza or Canalside watch party will be in the upper 40's.

Thursday will be a better day with partly cloudy conditions and the possibility of an afternoon shower with a high around 50.

"By Friday we'll see the rain return with another system coming in," Reynolds cautions. "We'll see some rain by Friday afternoon, and then rain continuing into Friday night and then into Saturday."

Cooler temperatures are expected through the end of the work week. Temperatures Wednesday through Friday will be well below normal, with highs only in the upper 40's to mid 50's.

The coldest temperatures within this cooler pattern are expected Thursday night. Overnight low temperatures Thursday night are likely to drop into the 30's. There is the potential for frost, though this will be highly dependent on the amount of cloud cover in place.