Steady snow will move into the Finger Lakes late Friday afternoon, leaving several inches on the ground for some areas by Saturday morning.
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WHAT
A moderate strength low pressure system is developing over the Plains on Thursday afternoon. This system will track east with a narrow ribbon of moderate to heavy snow. This area will clip the Finger Lakes, beginning late Friday afternoon and coming to an end by early Saturday.
ALERTS ACTIVE
The following weather alerts are active in the Finger Lakes Weather forecast area:
No weather alerts have been issued as of 5 PM Thursday, but the National Weather Service may choose to issue Winter Weather Advisories at a later time. Most, if not all of the Finger Lakes region, should not meet the criteria for an advisory.
UPDATE- Winter Weather Advisories have been issued for the following counties in alphabetical order, mainly for elevations over 1300 feet:
Allegany, Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins
WHEN
Precipitation will begin to move into the area between 3-6 PM on Friday. Some of the precipitation may mix with or be rain at the onset, especially for areas that see precipitation start during the mid-afternoon.
The snow will intensify by the evening and will come down steadily into the overnight. The heaviest snow will be over before dawn Saturday, with a few flurries lingering over eastern areas into the daylight hours.
HOW MUCH
Snowfall amounts will be stratified along west-east lines with slight variations due to topography and local geographic effects.
To the north, areas near the shore of Lake Ontario should see an inch or less of accumulation.
A ribbon of 1-2 inch snow amounts is expected across the I-90 corridor and the northern tips of most of the Finger Lakes.
Much of the region will see a 2-4 inch snowfall, with 4-6 inches across the far Southern Tier. A few localized areas near the Pennsylvania state line could see over six inches.
TEMPERATURES
Temperatures will peak in the low and mid 40s Friday afternoon, but will fall into the upper 30s as the snow arrives. Temperatures will drop into the low 30s shortly after sunset and remain steady through the overnight. As the sun rises Saturday, a rise into the mid 30s will take place initially before temperatures become more dependent on location and increasing sunshine.
TRAVEL IMPACTS
Slight travel impacts will mostly be limited to evening and overnight travel on rural roads. Some main roads may see a slushy coating in areas.
Travel conditions should quickly improve Saturday morning, though a few rural routes may remain sloppy well into the morning.
OTHER IMPACTS
No other significant impacts are expected from this weather system.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE
High- Late season snow events inherently carry more uncertainty due to warm temperatures, but the forecast snow amounts should be close to the actual amounts. Forecast models are in good agreement with the path and temperatures of this system and have performed adequately with other recent snow events. Elevation will likely play some role, with lower elevations coming in on the lower end of predicted totals, and higher elevations on the higher end.
FUTURE SNOW OUTLOOK
Other than a few flurries mixing with rain next week, or an exceptional May snow event, this should be the final snow for the Finger Lakes this season.
FUTURE UPDATES
- There will most likely be NO FRIDAY AM Blog post due to other commitments. An update graphic MAY be posted Friday at some point. The zip-code forecasts will remain updated.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Get the forecast for your Zip Code
- Finger Lakes Weather Radar
- Ask Meteorologist Drew Montreuil a question
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