Wednesday Snow, Thursday Chill
A disorganized weather system is passing through the region today and will continue to lead to periods of light snow across the Finger Lakes.
An initial batch of snow overnight is already winding down across our region. Once the snow ends this morning, there will be a lull that lingers well into the afternoon. During this lull, there may still be the occasional snow shower, but mostly, it will be cloudy and dry.
During the mid-afternoon hours, another area of snow will move in from the west. This will linger into the early evening before tapering off to more scattered snow showers, and then after midnight, some lake effect southeast of Lake Ontario.
Most areas should see around an inch of accumulation between the two areas of snow. Road conditions may be a bit slick on lesser traveled roads while it is snowing, but few, if any, travel issues are expected during the lull.
Temperatures are starting off in the mid 20s for most of the region and will rise to a high in the low and mid 30s. Winds will be from the south-southwest at 5-10 mph until the second area of snow moves in. Then, winds will turn to the west and drop in speed. West and northwest winds tonight will increase back to the 5-10 mph range.
A few lingering lake effect snow showers will drop south through the Finger Lakes early Thursday morning, mostly in the hours leading up to dawn. These will weaken as they move south and should dissipate before reaching the Southern Tier.
A deck of thin clouds high in the atmosphere will build in early Thursday as well. Some sun may shine through the clouds during the morning, but thicker clouds will not be far behind, making for a rather grey afternoon.
Winds will slowly turn more southerly through the day with light speeds near or under 5 mph. After starting in the mid 20s, highs will only reach the low 30s.
Warming Up
Southerly flow will increase Thursday night into Friday as the next weather system strengthens over the Mid-Mississippi Valley and high pressure holds firm off the Mid-Atlantic coast.
This will push a surge of warmer air northward Thursday night, accompanied by a few snow showers. Higher elevations may see southerly winds gust to 30 mph.
Any snow should depart before sunrise Friday. Temperatures will rise into the low and mid 30s by the time the sun rises. Friday will end up with highs pushing into the mid and upper 40s, despite mostly cloudy skies.
The wind will decrease in speed during the daytime hours Friday, only to increase again after midnight Friday night. Most areas will see gusts of 30-40 mph with some higher gusts on the hilltops.
Temperatures will drop to the upper 30s and low 40s Friday evening but will come back up into the mid 40s overnight. Rain showers will also move in Friday night.
Saturday will be breezy with on and off periods of rain as low pressure passes to our west. It does not look as though it will rain all day, but a few periods of rain will be possible.
Temperatures will continue to climb with nearly all the Finger Lakes expected to eclipse 55 degrees. A few areas should be able to break 60 degrees as well. Winds will continue to gust between 30-40 mph. Late in the afternoon, a cold front will move through, and winds will increase for a couple of hours with 45 mph gusts.
Lake effect will develop off Lake Ontario Saturday night into early Sunday, but with west winds, should stay out of our area. Sunshine will increase on Sunday and skies should be mostly clear by the afternoon.
While not as warm as Saturday, temperatures will still be a smidge above average with upper 30s and low 40s.
Sunny skies will continue into Monday with highs pushing back into the mid and upper 40s. Winds will turn northerly Monday night as high pressure races across southern Canada. This will knock temperatures back to around 40 degrees on Tuesday with a mix of sun and clouds.
This will only be a temporary setback, with highs returning to the upper 40s on Wednesday. Even warmer, and still dry, weather is possible late next week.
There is still hope for a White Christmas, though, with the warm pattern possibly breaking down in the days leading up to Christmas. It only takes an inch of snow on Christmas Eve to whiten things up, after all.
More Information:
» Finger Lakes Weather Radar
» Zip Code Forecasts
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This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected. Stay Updated With Email Alerts
