Spits of drizzle Tuesday with sloppy mess expected early Thursday, Friday mornings

finger lakes weather forecast tuesday february 4 2020
A little drizzle, ice, and snow will fall in pockets Tuesday. Widespread, meaningful wintry precipitation will make travel Thursday and Friday mornings messy. [Photo by Gwen Moshier]
A frontal boundary is developing over the Finger Lakes this morning and will set the stage for our weather over the next 48 hours.

Temperatures are starting in the low and mid 30s across the northern and eastern portions of the region while the southwestern Finger Lakes is starting well into the 40s.

This front will slowly sag southward today, keeping skies generally cloudy. This afternoon, bits of drizzle, freezing drizzle, and light flurries will be possible. None of the precipitation should amount to much, but a few slick spots will be possible.

As the front sinks south, so too will cooler air. By the late afternoon, the entire region should be north of the front with temperatures in the low 30s.

The front will continue to pull away from the region on Wednesday, allowing some sunshine to return. After morning lows in the low to mid 20s, afternoon highs will be near 30 degrees. Higher elevations will be in the upper 20s.

Local News from the Cortland Voice

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Messy Wintry Mixes to End Week

An area of low pressure will track northeastward through the Ohio Valley Wednesday night. Precipitation out ahead of the low will break out shortly after midnight across the Finger Lakes.

This precipitation will likely start as a burst of snow, before changing to sleet and then freezing rain. The heaviest precipitation should be through the region by dawn with spotty showers during the morning that will turn over to plain rain.

Areas closer to Lake Ontario will stay snow longer than areas to the south and several inches may accumulate. Conversely, the Southern Tier has the best chance at seeing significant icing with a tenth of an inch or more possible.

The Thursday morning commute will certainly be messy early on, but travel conditions will improve during the daytime hours. How far north the warm air makes it is still a bit uncertain, but much of the region should see 40s by Thursday afternoon.

We will not be done with meaningful winter weather, though.

A new low pressure system will track just inland from the East Coast Thursday night. Precipitation will again increase after midnight, this time persisting into the morning hours.

Cooler air will work in, changing precipitation from rain at the onset to freezing rain and snow before dawn Friday. This time, the best chance for ice will be east of a roughly Fulton-Penn Yan-Wellsville line. To the west of this, mostly snow will fall.

This should make for another messy morning commute on Friday without the same promise of improvement that Thursday holds.

Precipitation will turn to all snow by Friday afternoon with flurries lingering deep into the overnight.

A few more flurries will be possible early Saturday, but high pressure will take over and produce sunshine for the afternoon.

This same high should block another coastal system from drawing close to our region on Sunday with just a few clouds expected.

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Follow Meteorologist Drew Montreuil:
Meteorologist Drew Montreuil has been forecasting the weather in the Finger Lakes region since 2006 and has degrees in meteorology from SUNY Oswego (B.S. with Honors) and Cornell (M.S.). Drew and his wife have four young boys. When not working or playing with the boys, he is probably out for a run through the countryside.