Snow/Ice Report: Sunday, December 1, 2019

An icy mix of precipitation will move in Sunday for the first part of a multi-phase winter storm.

WHAT

Low pressure over the Great Lakes will weaken as it tracks east on Sunday while a secondary low develops along the Mid-Atlantic Coast. High pressure over eastern Canada will help prevent warm air from making inroads into the Finger Lakes. A band of precipitation will move through during the morning and afternoon hours before letting up some in the late afternoon and early evening. Additional snow Sunday night into Monday is likely.

ALERTS ACTIVE

WINTER STORM WARNINGS are in effect for the following counties (listed in alphabetical order):
CAYUGA (SOUTH), CHEMUNG, CORTLAND, ONONDAGA, SCHUYLER, SENECA, TIOGA, TOMPKINS, YATES

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES are in effect for the following counties (listed in alphabetical order):
ALLEGANY, CAYUGA (NORTH), GENESSE, LIVINGSTON, MONROE, ONTARIO, STEUBEN, WAYNE, WYOMING

* THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COUNTIES UNDER A WARNING AND THOSE WITH AN ADVISORY ARE PRIMARILY DUE TO MONDAY’S SNOW

WHEN

Precipitation will first arrive in the western Southern Tier around sunrise Sunday morning. Precipitation will slowly spread northeast, reaching the Syracuse area around 11 AM. Precipitation will continue steadily for 3-6 hours before tapering off, but not necessarily ending completely.

Most of the Finger Lakes will see sleet during the steady precipitation with some snow or freezing rain mixing in at times. The far northeastern Finger Lakes (eastern Wayne County through Syracuse) will probably stay snow longer before a shorter period of sleet.

Once the steady precipitation ends, freezing drizzle will become possible into the early evening. Precipitation will reintensify overnight and quickly turn to all snow. Snow will fall throughout Monday, and heavily in the morning.

HOW MUCH

Most of the Finger Lakes will see 1-2 inches of snow and sleet accumulation Sunday. Localized areas could also see a glaze of ice accretion.

From Wayne County, through Cayuga and into northern Cortland county northeast towards Syracuse, 2-4 inches of snow and sleet are expected. North of Syracuse, snow amounts over 4 inches will be possible.
THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE SNOWFALL SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY, WHICH REMAINS UNCERTAIN.

The heaviest snow accumulations Monday will be over the eastern Finger Lakes and into Central New York. Early estimates are for 6”+ of snow in these areas with lesser amounts to the west, but this remains subject to change.

TEMPERATURES

Temperatures will start Sunday in the mid 20s and warm to near or just above 30 degrees. Few, if any places, are expected to warm above 32 degrees.

TRAVEL IMPACTS

During Sunday morning and first half of the afternoon, road conditions will rapidly deteriorate as heavy snow and sleet move in. Travel will be impacted on all roads and many secondary and rural roads will be dangerous. The conditions on major routes and highways will vary between wet and slick at times, depending on traffic and road treatment.

Black ice will be a significant concern in the late afternoon as freezing drizzle develops.

Additional travel hazards for Sunday night and Monday will be outlined in tomorrow’s reports.

OTHER IMPACTS

Winds Sunday morning will gust over 35 mph, especially for areas west of Seneca Lake. Winds will decrease in the afternoon.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE

MEDIUM- The general picture outlined above should come to pass, but localized variations should be expected. This will especially be the case over the northeastern Finger Lakes, where the determination between sleet and snow is razor thin.

FUTURE SNOW OUTLOOK

Snow will intensify Sunday evening and fall heavily into Monday morning. Steady moderate to light snow will continue throughout Monday. Significant accumulations are possible, especially east of Cayuga Lake. Uncertainty remains, however.

Areas of snow are possible Wednesday as a cold front moves through. Lake effect snow is likely behind this front Wednesday night into Thursday.

FUTURE UPDATES

• Special Sunday Morning blog post: Complete Storm Overview (Sunday AM roughly 8-9 AM)
• Monday Snow Report (Sunday afternoon between 3-5 PM)
• Regular Monday Morning blog post (Monday between 7-8 AM)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Get the forecast for your Zip Code
• Finger Lakes Weather Radar
• Ask Meteorologist Drew Montreuil a question
• Advertise on Finger Lakes Weather

SPECIAL NOTE

Thank you for your patience this morning when the website was down. I greatly appreciate each and every report notifying me of the problem! The bandwidth limit problem has been fixed and there should be no issues from here on out for the storm.