Cold and snow ease up over the Finger Lakes

Improving Weather Conditions

The weather Tuesday and Wednesday will gradually improve across the Finger Lakes as the cold and snow ease up temporarily.

An area of snow early Tuesday morning in the Finger Lakes will lift north and out of the region over the course of the morning as winds turn towards the southwest.

An inch or so of snow may fall before it ends and some secondary roads may be a bit slick.

Gradually though, sunshine should increase across the Finger Lakes from south to north this afternoon.

Temperatures will not be quite so bitter today either, with afternoon highs ranging from the low 20s across the northern and central Finger Lakes to the mid teens in the higher elevations of the western Southern Tier.

With mostly clear skies overnight, temperatures will mostly end up in the low to mid single digits Wednesday morning. A few valleys in the Southern Tier could drop just below zero, but the south wind should help keep temperatures from falling too far.

Wednesday should be a sunny day as winds continue from the south, keeping lake effect well out of the area.

That south wind, combined with the sunshine, should help temperatures rise into the low and mid 20s region-wide.

Most Intense Cold Yet Lurks

The reprieve from the cold will be brief, however.

By Thursday, a strong area of low pressure will develop over the Atlantic Ocean.

While this system will be much too far to the east to bring any precipitation into the Finger Lakes, as the storm intensifies, our winds will turn back to the north and increase.

This will bring in the coldest air we have seen yet for Friday and Saturday.

Temperatures Thursday will manage to reach the mid and upper teens with lake effect snow returning to the area.

By Friday morning, many places will fall below zero and will remain in the negatives until Sunday.

Yes, that means high temperatures both Friday and Saturday will fail to reach even 0 degrees for a good portion of the Finger Lakes.

Morning lows Saturday will range from -5 to -10 all across the Finger Lakes with even colder temperatures to start Sunday.

Winds will also be strong wind frequent gusts of 30-40 mph both Friday and Saturday. This will keep wind chills consistently at or below -20 degrees.

Temperatures will rebound Sunday afternoon with highs in the 20s and we may finally even see 30s return by early next week.

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