A week of harsh winter weather will begin to settle into the Finger Lakes on Wednesday as lake snows develop, followed by arctic cold.
The coming blast of winter will be significantly more intense than any thing we have seen so far this winter and will conjure up memories of last winter.
For Tuesday, the Finger Lakes will still be on the mild side of low pressure moving into southern Ontario. Temperatures should rise into the upper 30s, with a few places even hitting 40 degrees. Scattered snow showers will mix with and change to rain this afternoon before going back to snow tonight.
After a lull in the precipitation around midnight, conditions will start to head downhill in the hours before dawn Wednesday. Lake effect snow originating from the Georgian Bay and enhanced by Lake Ontario will cross much of the Finger Lakes. The band will likely be thin, but may fluctuate in its position across the Finger Lakes.
Outside of the band, conditions will be tranquil with temperatures in the low 30s. Inside the band, moderate snow may fall with some sloppy roads and a few inches of accumulation. This band will continue into Wednesday night and through Thursday, wavering to and fro across the area.
Meanwhile, temperatures will drop into the teens Wednesday night and rise very little during the day on Thursday. Strong winds will also develop on Thursday, with gusts over 30 mph possible. This will send daytime wind chills into the single digits and negatives. Keep this in mind if you have any sort of outdoor plans on Thursday.
Lake snows should shift for Friday and Saturday as winds turn more southwesterly. Lake snows from Lake Erie may impact parts of the Finger Lakes with several more inches possible. Friday will be warmer, with highs in the 20s, but then even more intense cold moves in.
Temperatures will drop below zero for all bu the warmest areas on Saturday morning and will struggle to even get back to 0 degrees during the daytime hours. Winds will again be strong, sending wind chills into dangerous territory- possibly as low as -20 degrees.
Sunday will again be cold, but highs should be above zero and the winds will be much lighter. This is not the end of the wintry blast though. Conditions early next week are prime for a potential east coast storm. This situation will bear close watching over the next 5 days. Stay tuned and stay safe.
