Snow and wind persist through Wednesday

Moderate Impact Snow Event Wednesday

No changes have been made to the Finger Lakes Weather forecast or maps from Tuesday as everything is unfolding as expected.

Areas of lake effect snow continue from the overnight this morning with widespread flurries and embedded squalls. These will continue throughout the day today and will especially focus over higher elevations east of Cayuga and Owasco lakes.

Strong winds will also develop this morning and continue through the day and into the overnight period. Northwest winds will gust between 30-40 mph.

The snow should begin to pull east this evening and should mostly be out of the area shortly after midnight.

Snowfall amounts will vary greatly with location and elevation. I have made no adjustments to the map I published yesterday, which I have reposted here. This map, therefore, includes the snow that fell overnight.

Over the course of today, areas west of Cayuga Lake should expect to only see a couple of additional inches. Snow amounts during the daytime and evening hours will be greater east of Cayuga Lake.

Travel conditions will be sloppy, especially on rural roads prone to drifting, so please use due caution and give yourself extra time today. Main roads which are actively treated may be just wet at times, though. The mix of sloppy and wet conditions makes this a moderate impact event.

As an additional note, overnight the National Weather Service upgraded Tompkins and Cortland counties from an advisory to a Winter Storm Warning.

Again though, my forecasts remain unchanged and I still do not see Ithaca exceeding 4 inches or so. The warning is more relevant for the Groton-Freeville-Dryden area than the city of Ithaca, though I still feel these areas max out at 6 or 7 inches.

Temperatures today will rise from the upper 20s this morning into the low 30s this afternoon, then back into the 20s this evening.

Cool, Breezy End of Week

By Thursday morning, the Finger Lakes should be mostly devoid of falling snow. Only a couple stray flurries are expected.

A little sun may even poke out during the midday and early afternoon hours.

Winds will remain blustery with gusts over 30 mph. This will, of course, continue to cause areas of blowing and drifting on prone roadways.

Temperatures should warm into the mid 30s, which will help clear up travel conditions with the exception of those drifty areas.

Flurries and a couple of squalls may redevelop Thursday night and into early Friday morning. A couple of inches may fall in a few select, localized areas over the eastern Finger Lakes as a result.

By Friday afternoon, the snow should taper off as high pressure begins to build in. Temperatures Friday will be chilly, with highs only in the mid to perhaps upper 20s. Winds will also continue to gust over 30 mph.

The wind will decrease slightly over the weekend, but still, gusts of 25-30 mph will be possible. Temperatures will remain cool, with highs both days in the low 30s.

The good news is that both Saturday and Sunday look quite sunny at this time.

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