Lake Effect Snow continues into Saturday, followed by sloppy system late Sunday

Lake effect snow will be most organized during the morning and evening hours Friday and early Saturday.

Lake Effect Snow

Lake effect snow is ongoing across portions of the Finger Lakes this Friday morning. Everything looks as it should, and the forecast from yesterday appears to be in good shape.

The heavier snow band has just entered into my neighborhood in Groton. As I explained yesterday, the sizes of the snowflakes are rather small due to limited moisture in the atmosphere. This will help keep accumulations from getting too high.

Still, some areas in the Finger Lakes have seen upwards of 4 inches already, and there are bound to be slippery roads. Please use caution.

The lake effect should become less organized this afternoon as daytime heating works against the mechanics of the lake effect snow system. Likewise, as the sun sets, the lake effect will likely flare up again this evening.

So, for this morning, look for the snow to continue with a shift towards the north. Areas from Canadaigua to Ithaca to Binghamton that saw some bursts of snow this morning will likely see lesser snow rates for the remainder of today.

By this afternoon, the snow will be more on and off as the band breaks into cells. Some sun may even peek out between the snow. This evening, the bands should reorganize with several more inches possible.

Saturday will likely undergo a similar cycle, with some snow bands in the morning breaking into a spray of on and off flurries and squalls for the afternoon. During the evening though, most of the lake effect should come to an end across the Finger Lakes.

Widespread Precipitation Sunday into Monday

We are entering into a very active pattern where lake effect snow will alternate with storm systems moving into the area. One such system will approach from the southwest Sunday afternoon into early Monday.

There is still a high degree of uncertainty on the track of this system. In turn, the track will determine how much warm air works into our region and what type of precipitation will fall.

At this point, the precipitation looks to start as some snow later Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening. A couple of inches may be possible.

Gradually, warm air will work in above the surface. This could lead to a change over to sleet or freezing rain Sunday night.

The precipitation is currently expected to end by Monday morning as dry air works into the system.

This will be a system worth watching over the next couple of days. While it probably will not be a huge system in terms of precipitation amount, it could make for a rather slick and slippery Monday morning commute. Stay tuned.

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