Weather Through Saturday
A quiet Thursday is ahead for the Finger Lakes, allowing the focus to shift to late Friday into Saturday.
Expect plenty of clouds today, but also a few breaks of sun. Northwest winds will be blustery from the late morning through the mid-afternoon, with speeds up to 15 mph and gusts of 25-35 mph. The strongest gusts are expected over the Southern Tier.
High temperatures today will range from the upper 30s southeast of Lake Ontario to the mid 40s across the Southern Tier. Most areas should end up somewhere near or slightly above 40 degrees.
Skies will clear for a time tonight, though there may also be a couple of stray flurries early on. Clouds will increase again prior to dawn, but our region should stay dry until late in the day Friday. Southeast winds will blow at or under 10 mph. Temperatures will start Friday in the mid 20s, with some colder pockets, and rise to near or just over 40 degrees Friday afternoon.
The incoming winter weather event Friday Night and Saturday will follow a similar pattern as several other events this winter, including the last one we experienced just earlier this week.
Precipitation will start as a band of snow, moving southwest to northeast late in the day. Most areas should see this snow start between or near 4-6 PM, though the timing will be a bit more certain tomorrow morning.
The precipitation will quickly turn over to a mix of sleet, snow, and pockets of freezing rain. Most of the Finger Lakes region should see this icy mix during the evening hours.
Overnight Friday into Saturday is less certain as non-freezing rain and snow become the primary precipitation types, but dry air also wraps around low pressure over the Great Lakes and into our region. There should be some sort of lull Friday night, followed by an increase in precipitation Saturday as a new low develops along the New England coast.
Steady light to moderate precipitation is likely Saturday, especially in the morning. There will probably be both areas of snow and areas of rain, but snow should eventually win out. Even for areas that see mostly snow, it is questionable how much will actually accumulate and how it will impact road conditions.
So, in summary, there are still some fine-tuning details to work out, but the main message is that we have already experienced similar events this year and even this week. While every event is unique, the impacts will be around the same magnitude.
For snow and sleet amounts, expect a general 1-4 inches across the region, with a few locally higher amounts in the higher elevations of the southeastern and eastern Finger Lakes, and in the far northeastern Finger Lakes where cold air will hold on the longest. Pockets of freezing rain will lead to anywhere from a glaze of ice to a tenth of an inch.
Travel conditions will be especially hazardous Friday evening, but messy roads are possible through Saturday as well.
Weather Next Week
Precipitation should pull out of the area later Saturday afternoon into Saturday evening. Northwest winds will develop, but there will not be a lot of cold air to move into the area. Temperatures Saturday night will mostly stick to the upper 20s, meaning the conditions for lake-effect snow will be less than ideal. Still, a few lake flakes may linger across the northeastern Finger Lakes.
Sunday will have clouds and some breaks of sun, not too dissimilar to today. Temperatures will poke back above 40 degrees during the afternoon.
Monday will be similar, only with less chance for sunshine breaking through the clouds and temperatures a couple of degrees warmer. If by chance some sun does break through, temperatures could locally rise into the upper 40s. Most areas should stick closer to 45 degrees.
A modest weather system looks like it will move through the area Monday night into Tuesday. Temperatures look warm, so much of what falls at this point looks to be rain. Some snow will probably mix in on the backside as temperatures fall during the day Tuesday.
Temperatures will take a dip behind this system, with highs near or below freezing at least for a few days late next week, and possibly longer.
Snow is unlikely for much of next week before chances bump up slightly towards next weekend and the following week. There are no single identifiable weather systems that have any confidence of actually occurring, though.
Overall, temperatures are expected to remain near or below average for much of March.
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
