Squalls will transition to a band of lake effect snow Wednesday evening that will continue into the night.
WHAT
Scattered snow squalls will diminish this evening. A single band of lake effect snow will develop instead, stretching southeast of Lake Ontario. At first, the band will track from north to south, but will then stall out and dissipate overnight.
ALERTS ACTIVE
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES are in effect for the following counties (listed alphabetically):
Cortland, Onondaga — These may be cancelled as early as this evening.
WHEN
Snow squalls and lake effect snow off Lake Erie will diminish during the early evening hours across portions of the Southern Tier and southern Finger Lakes. Meanwhile, a band of lake effect snow will develop from Wayne-Onondaga county, including the Syracuse area.
Between 8-10 PM, this band will move south to a position just north of a Rochester-Geneva-Ithaca line, where it will remain through the overnight hours. The band will gradually weaken overnight and should dissipate fully between 6-8 AM.
HOW MUCH
A narrow ribbon of 2-4 inch snow is possible from far northeastern Monroe county, across portions of Wayne, northern Seneca and central Cayuga County, and into the higher elevations of northern Cortland and southern Onondaga county.
An inch may fall just south of this main area, as well as to the north where the band initially develops this evening. Little to no snow accumulation is expected elsewhere as the squalls end.
TEMPERATURES
For areas where snow falls overnight, temperatures will remain in the upper teens. Low and mid teens are expected elsewhere with single digits west of I-390.
TRAVEL IMPACTS
Slight travel impacts are expected within the lake effect areas, with little to no impact outside of the lake effect, except where snow drifts from the still gusty winds this evening. This means that main roads will be in fair or just wet condition, while secondary and rural roads may have a light coating of snow.
Travel conditions should improve greatly Thursday morning, with no travel impacts for most of Thursday.
OTHER IMPACTS
Northwest winds will gust over 30 mph this evening, reducing visibility and creating areas of blowing and drifting snow. Wind speeds will decrease overnight and become light by Thursday morning.
Overnight wind chill values will drop into the single digits with a few areas registering wind chills just below zero.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE
MEDIUM- Lake effect is inherently difficult to pinpoint, especially in cold temperatures where snow can accumulate much faster than models indicate. The position of the lake effect bands can also be uncertain, causing greater or lesser amounts than forecast, especially on the edges of the forecast zones.
FUTURE SNOW OUTLOOK
No precipitation is expected Thursday.
Rain will move into the area Friday and could mix with a little ice over Central New York at its onset.
No other wintry weather is expected for the weekend or early next week.
FUTURE UPDATES
- Regularly scheduled Thursday morning post (Between 7-8 AM Thursday)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Get the forecast for your Zip Code
- Finger Lakes Weather Radar
- Ask Meteorologist Drew Montreuil a question
- Advertise on Finger Lakes Weather
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