High Impact Snowstorm Wednesday
A high impact winter weather event will unfold across the Finger Lakes Wednesday morning and continue into the afternoon with several hours of very heavy snow.
Low pressure will travel from the Ohio Valley to southern New England today as it strengthens.
Heavy precipitation northwest of the center of the low will move into the Finger Lakes before 9 am will continue until around 4 pm.
With plenty of cold air in place, all of this precipitation will fall as a powdery snow.
While this is a short duration event, the snow will come down very heavily during the 9 am to 4 pm timeframe.
Many areas will see 6 to 8 inches of snow with a few localized areas approaching 10 inches.
After 4 pm, the snow will quickly taper off to scattered snow showers and a few lake effect snow squalls that will linger into Thursday morning.
Lake effect snow will then move out of the area during the mid-morning hours. A few places may see an additional inch or two from the lake effect snow.
This is a high confidence forecast.
Here is the timeline of events for this storm:
Through 9 am
Snow moves into the Finger Lakes, quickly becomes heavy. Moderate Impact.
9am – 4 pm
Heavy snow falls at a rate of one-inch per hour or more. High Impact.
After 4 pm
Snow will quickly taper to scattered, mostly light snow showers. Slight Impact.
Live Storm Updates
This section will be updated throughout the day with the latest weather information. The latest information will be placed in the green box below.
I will not be doing a live video session this afternoon.
3:15 PM Update- As expected, the back edge of the snow is working through the western Finger Lakes and will continue to press east over the next 60-90 minutes. This event will quickly wind down from here.
Please let me know how much snow you have gotten once the snow stops. Thank you in advance for your reports!
I have decided not to do a live video session this afternoon, but I will continue to update this blog and answer your questions!
1 PM Update- Heavy snow continues over the eastern Finger Lakes, but the snow has broken up a bit over some western areas. Additional snow is over Western New York, so this is not the end of the storm, but rather just a lull.
The action should continue for a few more hours before tapering off for real between 3-5 pm.
11 AM Update– Snow continues to fall at a moderate to heavy pace. The intensity will likely continue to fluctuate at times, but steady snow will persist into the afternoon.
The latest model data is showing the snow starting to taper off over the western Finger Lakes around 3 pm, while the eastern regions are still looking at a 4 pm or even 5 pm ending time.
9 AM Update– Snow has overtaken all of the Finger Lakes and Central New York as expected. So far, this storm is behaving exactly as was expected.
The snow will become heavier through the morning and will persist into the mid-afternoon. Travel conditions will get worse from here, but are already deteriorating.
6:30 AM Update- Snow is widespread to the southwest of the Finger Lakes and looks to be arriving right on schedule. Over the next two hours, heavy snow should overspread the Finger Lakes region.
Once the storm begins, the snow will quickly become heavy and will not let up until the late afternoon.
Travel conditions will quickly deteriorate this morning. Avoid travel if you are able.
Quick-Links
Here are some useful links to keep you fully informed throughout the storm.
FLX Weather Radar
Interactive, mobile friendly, and color-coded for precipitation type.
Zip-Code Forecasts
Specific forecast details for all zip-codes in the Finger Lakes.
Message Drew
Send meteorologist Drew Montreuil a question through the Messenger App and get a quick, personal response.
Weather Alerts
See what alerts are in place for your county, including any flood advisories and warnings.
Social Media
Connect with FLX Weather on Facebook and Twitter. Your live weather reports and updates are always vital! Please let me know what you are seeing!
Submit Photos
Send me your photos of the storm and you may see them used on the blog or the FLX Weather Instagram page.
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John Gregoire
Started at 0700 and most of day was steady powder. By 1500 snow increased and became heavier. At 1600 we have a new 6 inches and snow continues but does appear to be getting lighter. 4mi SW Mecklenburg; 5 miles ENE Burdett Schuyler Cty.
Meteorologist Drew Montreuil
Thanks for the report!
Patricia A Darling
Thank you so very much!