Friday-Saturday Snow
A cold front has quickly moved through the Finger Lakes early this morning.
As of 7 AM, all but a few areas near and east of I-81 in Central New York had already changed over to snow. However, the bulk of the heavy precipitation outran the cold air, so most of the snow that is falling is light to locally moderate.
The greatest accumulations today are still expected just south of Lake Ontario across Wayne and Monroe counties, where locally 4-6 inches will be possible. The Bristol Hills south of Canandaigua could also see similar snow amounts.
The lowest accumulations will come across the Southern Tier and into Central New York, where most of the snow today will just be sporadic flurries.
Road conditions will vary as the snow accumulations will, but major travel trouble is not expected. Especially if you are traveling about the western or northern halves of the region, be on the lookout for a few slick spots, mainly on untreated and rural routes.
Temperatures will hold steady in the low 30s for the rest of the morning and the first part of the afternoon before dipping into the 20s late this afternoon. Overnight, temperatures will drop back to around 20 degrees.
As temperatures drop tonight, Lake Ontario will add extra energy to its lake effect, causing it to spread further inland. Steady light snow is expected for much of the area through the night with an additional inch or two accumulating. Localized pockets of higher amounts are not out of the question.
Winds will be from the northwest today at 10-15 mph. These winds will persist through the night, then take a slight jog to a more north-northwesterly direction Saturday morning.
Lake flurries will gradually wind down Saturday morning, but the winds look favorable for enhancement of the snow off of at least Cayuga and Owasco lakes. Snow showers south-southeast of both lakes may linger into the early afternoon for places like Ithaca and Moravia. Minor additional accumulations will be possible from this.
The wind will persist on Saturday with similar speeds, which will help hold afternoon highs to the mid 20s. North winds Saturday will keep some clouds in place across most of the Finger Lakes, but some clearing on the eastern and western edges of the region will be possible.
Temperatures Saturday night into Sunday morning will depend on both cloud cover and snow cover. In the west, areas that have both snow and clear skies could locally drop into the single digits. To the east, where it is clear but with little snow cover, low 10s are more likely. But for much of the area, where clouds linger, mid and upper 10s are more likely.
Forecast Trending Cooler
The cool air may not be as quick to depart as it was originally thought, though temperatures will still moderate.
A few lingering lake effect clouds will be possible Sunday morning with a north wind persisting. Eventually, though, sunshine should take over the entire region, leaving a mostly sunny afternoon.
The north wind will be under 10 mph but will keep temperatures right around the seasonal average highs near 30 degrees. The light wind will persist Sunday night and into Monday as well.
Clear skies are likely through Sunday night, allowing temperatures to start Monday in the upper 10s. A few thin clouds will eventually move in on Monday, but for the most part, it looks like a sunny day.
Temperatures here, too, are trending colder on the models, with highs now expected in the mid and upper 30s.
A pair of weather systems will impact the area for the rest of next week. The first will be weaker and will move through on Tuesday and Wednesday. Precipitation may start off with some patchy light ice early Tuesday before turning to rain showers. The rain showers will then turn to snow eventually on Wednesday.
Thursday and Friday will repeat the pattern, only with a stronger system and more precipitation. The potential for ice early Thursday will need to be monitored, but any ice should eventually turn over to rain.
Cooler air by next weekend will turn the rain back to snow, followed by the possibility of some scattered lake effect.
Winds may also get strong with this second system, which should help temperatures make it into the 40s at least for a little while late Thursday or early Friday.
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.
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