Mainly Light Snow Accumulations
A quick moving weather system will bring some widespread snow to the Finger Lakes.
After a cloudy but quiet morning and early afternoon, snow will move from west to east across the Finger Lakes during the mid to late afternoon hours on Sunday.
When the snow first arrives, temperatures will be in the mid and upper 30s. Some areas may even see some rain at the very onset. Little, if any, accumulation is expected during the afternoon, mainly on grassy surfaces. Road conditions will remain just wet through sunset.
During the evening, the snow will continue steadily, and temperatures will drop into the low and mid 30s. Elevation differences will begin to factor into play, with the colder temperatures found at the higher elevations.
The snow will begin to let up some after midnight, and by 3 or 4 AM, should be pretty much over across the region. Total accumulations will range from around an inch across the northwestern Finger Lakes, where temperatures will be warmest and precipitation amounts the least.
Much of the southwestern and northeastern corners of the region, and a stripe through the very middle of the region, will see an inch or two of accumulation. Higher elevations will see the greatest amounts, while near lake areas may not see much more than an inch.
The highest totals will be found across the southeastern corner of the region, and in particular in the higher elevations. Valley locations, including Elmira and Ithaca, will see around two inches. The nearby hilltops could see as much as four inches, though.
The coldest temperatures and highest precipitation amounts will cross paths in Cortland County and into Central New York, where some localized amounts over found inches will be found.
Some of the roadways in the southeastern Finger Lakes may get messy overnight, especially rural, higher elevation routes. Even here, though, temperatures will be close to the freezing mark.
Most of the uncertainty with this system comes from the microscale temperatures differences that will show up. Road conditions should quickly improve with even basic treatment plans and the morning commute should be minimally impacted, depending on road crew response times.
Scattered snow showers will be possible during the day Monday with little to no additional accumulation.
Another round of snow is expected on Wednesday. Accumulations may be more widespread, but will probably not be much higher than four inches once again.
The impact may be greater than Sunday night’s snow, with temperatures coming from a cold start and the snow coming during the daytime. In the end, the snow should turn over to rain. Stay tuned.
No further updates are expected to be made on Sunday’s snow. My next blog post will come Monday morning on the usual schedule.
Wendy Kryger
Hi Drew – I live on the South side of Binghamton and wondering what to expect for snowfall on Sunday. Thank you, Wendy
Meteorologist Drew Montreuil
Hi Wendy,
The Binghamton area is in my 2-4″ zone.
The uncertainty is a little higher down there compared to the FLX, so I don’t have a great feel for if you are more likely to see the 2″ or the 4″. There is probably a small chance it could surprise and go a bit higher, but that is not the most likely scenario.