Steady rain arrives this afternoon, turns to snow early Friday

Rain and Snow Details

A batch of light, scattered precipitation is moving through the Finger Lakes early this morning.

As expected, this precipitation is a mix of several precipitation types. Isolated slick spots will be possible this morning, but widespread travel trouble is not expected with very light precipitation amounts and many areas already above freezing.

Skies will remain cloudy behind this first area of precipitation, and a few spits of rain and drizzle will be possible through the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. Temperatures will slowly rise, reaching the low 40s for a time early this afternoon.

During the mid-afternoon hours, widespread rain will approach from the southwest. This rain will quickly overspread the area and will include some locally heavy downpours as it persists through the early evening.

As this rain moves in, temperatures will likely slip a few degrees, with mostly upper 30s by sunset.

There should be a slight lull in the rain during the hours leading up to and around midnight, but rain will increase again during the overnight. Heavy downpours will be less likely in this second resurgence of rainfall.

During the lull, warmer air will then start to push north against the cold, setting up a gradient between upper 30s and mid 40s. This boundary should set up roughly along a line from Dansville to Geneva to Syracuse, with the warmer air to the south.

As the rain becomes widespread again, the boundary will make slow but steady progress to the east, and areas already on the cool side of the front will get colder. Rain will start to turn to snow overnight in western New York, then transition from west to east across the Finger Lakes during the hours surrounding sunrise. Before turning to snow, as much as one-half to one inch of rain will be possible.

At first, the snow may come down hard, but have a difficult time accumulating, especially on roads, with temperatures initially still above freezing. The precipitation will outrun the cold air, and southern and eastern areas will see very little accumulation.

Further west, and especially northwest, moisture from Lake Ontario will prolong the snowfall. Steady snow will fall across the northern and western Finger Lakes, with some localized amounts of 6 inches or more by Saturday morning. Travel conditions will vary greatly across the region Friday and Friday night as a result of the variable snow amounts.

As winds over Lake Ontario turn from the north to the northwest Friday night, light lake snows will penetrate further into the Finger Lakes before tapering off Saturday. Inland, winds will already be from a northwesterly direction on Friday with speeds of 10-15 mph and gusts around 25 mph.

Brief Cool Down

By Saturday morning, most of the region will be under 20 degrees, which is close, but still not quite down to the seasonal averages.

Flurries off Lake Ontario will linger Saturday morning, but will gradually diminish. Clouds are likely to stick around most of the day.

Northwest winds will continue to blow at 10-15 mph with gusts near or slightly over 25 mph. Areas of blowing and drifting snow are likely. High temperatures will be in the mid 20s, but wind chills will make it feel like the 10s.

At least some lake effect clouds will linger into Saturday night, but other areas will see skies clear. Cloud cover and snowpack will have a large impact on overnight temperatures.

Clear skies plus a few fresh inches of snow could send some western areas into the single digits, while areas to the east that are clear but lack significant snow on the ground will be in the low 10s. Cloudy areas, meanwhile, will stick to the mid and upper 10s.

Sunday will turn sunny for all as high pressure moves through. Temperatures will rise to the mid 30s with a light north wind.

The wind will turn southerly Sunday night, but clear skies will still send temperatures to around 20 degrees. Monday will start sunnier than it will end, but highs should bounce back into the 40s with light south winds.

The middle of next week looks unsettled with some rain showers. A little wintry mix will also be possible during the early morning hours Tuesday. A more substantial weather system will be possible later in the week. Most of this will probably fall as rain, but again, an initial batch of wintry mix will be a possibility.

Daytime highs most of next week should be in the 40s, with 30s more likely the following week.

More Information:

» Finger Lakes Weather Radar

» Finger Lakes Weather Radar

» Zip Code Forecasts

» Your Forecast

» Get the FLX Weather Mobile App

This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected.

Stay Updated With Email Alerts

Get the latest forecasts delivered to your inbox automatically. This is the best way to ensure you are always seeing the newest information. Subscribing is easy, free, and secure. 

Name

Email

Zip Code

HP