Except for a few morning flurries lingering across the Finger Lakes and some gusty winds, the Blizzard of 2017 has finally come to an end.
Sun and Blowing Snow
A few very light snow showers still remain, primarily across the eastern Finger Lakes, coming from Lake Ontario. Conditions for lake effect will diminish this morning as the atmosphere continues to dry out and high pressure builds in from the southwest.
This should leave most of the area sunny, with clearing skies this morning outside of the lingering lake effect and by this afternoon regionwide.
There will still be some tricky spots traveling, though. Gusty winds of 30-40 mph will continue today, resulting in areas of blowing snow.
The strong March sun and temperatures climbing to near 30 degrees will help the road crews and travel conditions today should be much improved.
The wind will die down tonight as high pressure continues to build in. With clear skies, slackening winds, and the fresh deep snow pack, temperatures should fall back into the teens and single digits overnight.
Friday will be generally sunny with light winds. Temperatures will rise above freezing, with highs topping out in the mid 30s.
Sloppy System Saturday
Clouds will be on the increase late in the day Friday and Friday night out ahead of our next weather maker.
This will be a weak, disorganized system that will drop down across the Great Lakes and into the Mid-Atlantic states. Precipitation on the north side of this system should move into the Finger Lakes Saturday morning and persist into the afternoon hours.
Most of this precipitation will be light and somewhat broken in nature. In other words, it will probably not be a consistent event, but more on and off with breaks in the precipitation from time to time.
A coating of snow may fall at the onset of the precipitation before it turns to a mix of rain and snow. A brief period of some ice may be possible but is uncertain. Parts of the eastern Finger Lakes (east of Cayuga Lake) could remain mostly snow with a few inches of accumulation. This remains uncertain, though. A widespread, significant snow is not expected.
Precipitation should end later Saturday and a sunny day awaits on Sunday.
Blizzard 2017 Recap
I hope to do a special blog post recapping the Blizzard later today. At the very least, I will share a list of snow amounts. Stay tuned.
Carol
Thank you so much for all your good information during the storm, Drew! It’s great to have such a reliable source for our local weather. Hope your family is recovering well!
Louise Bement
Your picture shows the importance of a farmer’s leaving a row of corn stalks as a wind brake for a road.
Cynthia Williams
looking forward to your summary of the storm. Great to see the sun today!
Paul
This storm really proved the value of your “no hype” approach to forecasting. When, on Monday, you said this was a “serious” storm, I knew that it was the real deal. Thanks for all your work.
Sharon
Thank you for keeping us informed during the blizzard. And I hope your family have recovered and able to enjoy the aftermath of the storm!