Temperatures bounce back after cold start

High Pressure in Control

A large area of high pressure dominates the weather over the eastern United States today.

This high is centered over northern New York, but sprawls as far west as the Midwest and Plains and through much of the Southeast.

Being near the center of the high allowed for mostly clear skies and calm winds overnight. This has resulting in temperatures this morning ranging through the teens and single digits with a few sub-zero readings, especially in Cortland County.

High pressure will gradually drift southeast today, allowing for a slight south wind to set up. That will help temperatures rebound into the low and mid 30s this afternoon.

Also aiding the temperatures will be sunshine, though some thin clouds will be present.

Those clouds will thicken more overnight and wind speeds will increase. Temperatures will hold in the 20s overnight as a result.

Friday will be cloudier than today, but some breaks of sunshine are still possible. The best chance for that will come during the first part of the day.

South winds will continue to draw milder air into the region, with highs between 35-40 degrees on Friday.

Light Weekend Snow

There will be a couple chances for light snow this weekend as a pair of weather systems move in behind the high pressure.

Our first chance for snow will come overnight Friday night and into very early Saturday morning. A half-inch to an inch and a half (0.5-1.5”) will fall with the best chance for over an inch coming across the Southern Tier and Central New York.

The daytime hours Saturday will be mostly cloudy with a few breaks of sun here and there. High temperatures will settle in the low and mid 30s with a gentle northwest wind.

Another batch of snow will move in Saturday night, again coming to an end very early in the morning.

Snowfall amounts Saturday night will be similar, with most areas seeing around an inch, give or take a little. This time, the best chances for an inch or more will be west of Rochester, and over the northeastern Finger Lakes due to some possible lake enhancement.

Sunday’s daytime hours will be quite cloudy and a bit of rain or snow may return for the afternoon. Temperatures at this time will be in the mid and upper 30s with a few places possibly even reaching 40 degrees.

Monday will turn sunny with stronger south-southwest winds. This should drive temperatures well into the 40s and a few low 50s may even be possible.

That warm up will be ahead of a mid-week weather system that will probably start as rain before ending as a little snow.