Mixed precipitation will turn to rain this morning for most of the Finger Lakes before ending as snow this afternoon.
Widespread precipitation Tuesday morning was across the Finger Lakes. Much of this precipitation, as of 8am, was mixed or icy, with rain in the eastern Finger Lakes and snow in the far western parts of the region.
Gradually, through the morning hours, the mixed precipitation will transition over to rain. The rain/snow line may push a little further west briefly, but for the most part, it will not make much more progress west.
For Rochester and areas south and west, this means heavy snow will continue throughout the day. As of 7am, 4-7 inches had already fallen in these areas. An additional 8 to 16 inches is expected with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour.
Meanwhile, a soaking rain will take place across much of the remainder of the Finger Lakes. One to two inches of rain will fall, with some minor small stream flooding possible and noticeable rises on main stem rivers. The rain will transition back to snow from west to east this afternoon.
The precipitation will be lifting northeast out of the region by this evening. For the southeastern Finger Lakes- including Elmira, Ithaca and Cortland- it will be a race to see how quickly the rain changes back to snow before the precipitation moves out.
The snow totals on the map are only what is expected during the day today and does NOT include what fell overnight. As with my snow map yesterday, the ranges overlap to account for uncertainty. My confidence still is not very high, and there could be a very sharp cut off between significant and minor snow accumulations.
Keep an eye on the radar, temperature and conditions out your window and be smart and safe!
