Cool week, but no big storm expected for the Finger Lakes

Chilly Air Remains

The Finger Lakes will remain locked in a pattern of cool air with temperatures expected to remain near or below normal for this week and most likely the week after.

The air that is in place will not be bitterly cold, but there are no signs of any warm weather even close to what we had at the end of February.

Temperatures for most of this week will range from the low to mid 30s, with Tuesday being the warmest day in the upper 30s.

For today, Monday, our region is looking at some continued cloudiness as another ribbon of moisture rotates around Friday’s noreaster, which remains stalled out over the North Atlantic. A couple flurries will accompany the clouds, but a few breaks of sun will be possible, especially during the morning over western areas.

Look for high temperatures on Monday to only manage to reach about 30 degrees.

Southeast winds and partial sunshine ahead of the next storm system will be responsible for the warmer temperatures on Tuesday.

As low pressure moves into the Great Lakes, some snow and rain showers will be likely Tuesday evening. Some of the higher elevations of the eastern Finger Lakes and Central New York could pick up an inch or two of snow accumulation.

What is This About Another Nor’Easter?

As low pressure drifts east through the Great Lakes early Wednesday, a secondary low is expected to spawn off the Mid-Atlantic coast.

Like last week’s storm, this low should become the dominant system as it moves north into New England.

This system will have more cold air, resulting in more snow for New England, but not as much wind for those areas.

Here in the Finger Lakes, this system should NOT be a major storm. Models have been in good agreement that this system will be much too far east for us, with a less than 10% chance of significant snow showing on the European Ensemble models.

That is not to say it will remain completely quiet over our region, though.

The first low will linger over the Great Lakes for most of the remainder of the week. Periods of snow are likely Thursday and Friday with generally minor accumulations.

A couple of places could see some heavier squalls at times as the Great Lakes help enhance some of the snowfall.

By the weekend, most areas should see at least a couple inches of snow, with a few locations seeing week-long totals around 6 inches.

Pattern Remains

This general pattern will remain in place through at least next week. Undoubtedly, the media will continue to have a scare-fest with such a pattern, which is prone to low pressures developing along the coast.

Do not be surprised to start hearing about yet another storm towards the middle of next week.

Still nearly 10 days away, it is far, far too early to say anything about such a possibility. Towards the weekend, we can start to look at that potential system closer.

There are some indications that this cool, stormy pattern will break down after that, resulting in some warmer weather for the latter half of March. However, the overall pattern into April looks to have generally near normal temperatures.

For the record, “normal” in Ithaca is 49 degrees by April 1st. Hang on for another week or two, then we should be able to (mostly) close the books on this winter.