Tuesday-Wednesday Weather
A weak area of high pressure will extend over the area today, keeping the weather quiet until late tomorrow afternoon.
Conditions are mixed across the Finger Lakes to start out Tuesday. There are a few snow showers here and there, but also some breaks in the cloud cover.
This will continue to be the case throughout the day, with a mix of clouds, some sun, and a few stray showers or flurries.
Northwest winds will blow with speeds of 5-10 mph with top gusts around 20 mph. The northwest winds will keep it a bit cool, but not far off from the seasonal average temperatures. Look for afternoon highs in the low and mid 40s.
Skies will remain mixed this evening but will clear out overnight as winds become nearly calm, then turn to the southwest. Nighttime temperatures will reach the mid and upper 20s.
Wednesday should start with some sun before clouds gradually increase throughout the day. It will be a quiet day until the late afternoon when a strong cold front moves through.
Out ahead of the front, southwest winds will increase to 10-15 mph with gusts of 30-40 mph. As usual with southwest winds, the strongest gusts will be found along and west of I-390 in the far western Finger Lakes.
Afternoon highs will be near or slightly above 50 degrees for most areas, with higher elevations just shy of 50.
The front is expected to drop southeast through the region between 5-8 PM. As the front arrives, temperatures will drop from the mid and upper 40s to the 30s within minutes. An intense snow squall is also expected, with near-zero visibility for a brief period, followed by steady moderate to heavy snow for up to an hour.
Road conditions will be tricky to predict given the warm afternoon, but should at least initially remain mostly wet. It may snow hard enough to overcome the warmth, though, so conditions could change rapidly. Again, visibility will be minimal during the squall, making it hazardous even if roads remain just wet.
Wind gusts with the squall will be 30-40 mph from the northwest. Lighter, but still breezy northwest winds will set up behind the squall with a few lingering snow showers off Lake Ontario into early Thursday.
More Wind, Temperature Fluctuations
Breezy northwest winds will persist into Thursday with speeds up to 15 mph and gusts to 30 mph. Morning snow showers will taper off quickly, but clouds will linger longer. Breaks of sun will gradually become more common throughout the day.
Temperatures will be back on the cool side, with many areas struggling or failing to even reach 40 degrees. Evening temperatures will quickly fall to the mid 20s.
Winds will turn to the south and clouds will increase Thursday evening, halting the temperature drop. By dawn Friday, temperatures will have risen back into the upper 20s and low 30s.
A strong area of low pressure will develop over the Midwest on Friday. This will push a warm front through the region. Precipitation will start in the morning, perhaps as a little snow, before quickly turning to rain.
Off and on rain showers will continue throughout the day and nighttime hours Friday. Winds will shift from the southeast to the south with speeds of 10-15 mph and gusts to 30 mph. The highest winds will be over the higher elevations.
Temperatures on Friday will rise into the mid and upper 40s with some low 50s near Rochester. Only a slight dip is expected Friday night as warm air continues to push into the region.
Saturday will be very windy as the low approaches. Southwest winds during the first half of the day will blow at speeds over 20 mph with gusts over 50 mph possible.
Scattered showers will be likely and there remains a potential for some thunderstorms. Any storms that develop will be able to tap into even stronger winds aloft and could produce a localized severe thunderstorm threat with damaging winds. This is something I will continue to monitor closely.
Temperatures should peak well into the 60s but will crash behind the front with 30s by the early evening hours. West, then northwest winds will remain strong, with gusts over 50 mph into the evening before dropping overnight. Some snow showers will be possible in the cooler air Saturday night.
Sunday will be quiet with some sun and much lighter winds. Temperatures will only be around 40 degrees, but will quickly bounce back to near 60 on Monday with some rain showers.
Much of next week has the potential to be quite warm. There will be chances for showers and perhaps some thunderstorms as Spring makes a full arrival for early April.
More Information:
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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
Sue
Today was the first day in several that I could read your forecast that came through email. Whatever the issue was, it seems to be fixed! Thank You
Meteorologist Drew Montreuil
I wish that was the case, but there are still some who cannot access… and some who were not having problems but now are. So I am still hard at work trying to figure things out.
Jane Russell
This must have been a challenging forecast!!