Snow and treacherous travel linger through Tuesday

finger lakes weather forecast winter storm snow ice travel
Dangerous travel conditions exist across the Finger Lakes Tuesday morning, January 24, 2017.

Most roads remain very slippery Tuesday morning as snow falls on top of last night’s ice.

Storm Winds Down

The heaviest precipitation from the winter storm impacting the Finger Lakes is over. However, it will likely continue to snow through much of the daylight hours today.

There may be some times during the course of the day when the snow mostly stops, only to pick up again later on.

Most of this snow will be light, but some bursts of moderate snow are possible as bands develop within the greater area of light snow.

By this evening, precipitation should end across the entire area.

Accumulations throughout the day will add another 2-4 inches of snow on top of the snow and ice that has already fallen.

Travel conditions will remain poor. What the region did not get in snow, it got in ice. This has made roads extra slick, so please use extreme caution this morning and do not be deceived by the lower snow amounts.

Temperatures will remain locked in the low 30s throughout the day.

Helpful Weather Links:

No Surprises

As expected, this storm walked the fine line between temperatures a hair above and a hair below freezing.

This time, the warm air just barely won out early on, and much of the heaviest precipitation fell as ice.

While this was not the official forecast, it should not come as a surprise to anyone, as I did my best to make that possibility very clear and very real. This is just one of the differences between Finger Lakes Weather and other weather sources.

There is so much to learn from this event, both for meteorologists and the public, that I may do a more thorough write-up of it tonight or tomorrow.

Please continue to be safe today, and let me know what you are seeing on the roads and in your yards as far as snow and ice. Your reports are always an invaluable source of information!

 

Follow Meteorologist Drew Montreuil:
Meteorologist Drew Montreuil has been forecasting the weather in the Finger Lakes region since 2006 and has degrees in meteorology from SUNY Oswego (B.S. with Honors) and Cornell (M.S.). Drew and his wife have four young boys. When not working or playing with the boys, he is probably out for a run through the countryside.

6 Responses

  1. Kathy
    |

    Good morning, Drew. Here in Enfield there is about 5″ of snow…not sure how much ice is under it, but freezing rain was falling at midnight. Fine snow us falling quite briskly, but no wind at this time. Temp according to the weather channel (I don’t have an outdoor thermometer) is 30. Roads have been plowed, but are snowy and little traffic is moving. Thanks for your forecasts!

    • Meteorologist Drew Montreuil
      |

      Thank you for the very detailed report, Kathy!

  2. Caroline
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    In Hector, elevation 1700-1800 – at 8:00 AM it’s snowing lightly, we have about 2-3 inches of snow, unsure of the ice below it. It’s only 25 degrees here when most places are around 30 already.

    • Meteorologist Drew Montreuil
      |

      Thank you for that report Caroline!

  3. Paul
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    No one who regularly reads your postings should have been surprised by what happened. Your straightforward, no-hype forecast and discussions are really helpful and always my first go to when I need weather information. You provide a great service to this area and your work is much appreciated.

    • Meteorologist Drew Montreuil
      |

      That is good to hear, Paul. It is one thing for me to feel comfortable with the different scenarios, but quite another to know it was communicated in a clear enough manner!