Areas of snow through early Sunday

Weekend Snow

A weak area of low pressure is crossing the Mid-Atlantic region this morning.

Some light snow from this system has made its way north into the Finger Lakes region. However, it is encountering dry air, and the overall position of the weather system is a bit further south than anticipated.

These factors should work to limit the snow accumulations today, with most places seeing no more than an inch or two. Higher elevations across the Southern Tier are the most likely places to see 2 or more inches.

Another area that could see a few inches will be Monroe and Wayne county, where northeast winds will produce some lake enhancement of the snowfall.

The snow will stick around for much of the day before dissipating late in the afternoon.

Temperatures will make their way into the mid 20s this afternoon. The light northeast wind this morning will turn more northerly and increase to near 10 mph late this afternoon.

This evening, lake effect snow showers will develop both off Lake Ontario and possibly Cayuga and Seneca Lake. Any snow off the Finger Lakes will fall immediately to the south-southeast of the lakes. Off Lake Ontario, snows will start in Monroe and Ontario county, then drift east into Wayne and Seneca counties, eventually reaching Cayuga county. Locally, an inch or two may fall overnight.

During the predawn hours, winds will turn slightly more to the west and Lake Ontario lake effect will become better organized, centered over Wayne and Cayuga counties. These areas will stay locked into the lake effect throughout Saturday, with a spray of flurries and squalls across much of the northern half of the Finger Lakes.

A lack of deep moisture and cold temperatures will limit the snowflake growth, resulting in a dry, powdery snow that accumulates slowly. Still, pockets of Wayne and Cayuga counties could see 6+ inches of snow throughout Saturday, with more widespread amounts in the 2-5 inch range.

Outside of the main lake effect areas, accumulations will range from zero across the Southern Tier to pockets of 2-4 inches elsewhere.

Northwest winds will increase on Saturday with speeds of 10-15 mph and gusts as high as 30 mph. With the light, dry snow, blowing and drifting will easily take place. And with temperatures only peaking in the mid 10s, wind chills will be near or below zero for most of Saturday.

Weather Pattern Change

Lake snows will gradually wind down Saturday night with a few flurries lingering through Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon, winds turn to the southwest and skies should turn at least partly cloudy, if not mostly sunny.

It will still be on the cool side Sunday, with morning lows in the low 10s and afternoon highs in the low to mid 20s. Winds will also still be a bit blustery early Sunday, keeping wind chills near or slightly below zero.

Southwest winds will keep skies partly cloudy on Monday as warmer air starts to move into the area. Temperatures will range through the 10s Monday morning, but then afternoon highs should reach the low and mid 30s.

Clouds will increase late Monday and winds will shift to the west. The clouds should keep nighttime temperatures in the mid and upper 20s.

Tuesday will be rather cloudy with an area of snow arriving during the afternoon. The snow may come down at a steady clip for a few hours but will then move out. Only an inch or two of accumulation is expected.

This snow will be along a surge of warmer air, and some may turn over to rain before ending Tuesday evening.

Precipitation will move back in Tuesday night and early Wednesday. There could be a chance for some pockets of freezing rain before everything turns to plain rain. Showers will continue to be possible throughout the day Wednesday.

Temperatures should push well into the 40s on Wednesday, and again on Thursday. Thursday morning looks dry, but some afternoon and evening rain will be possible.

Mild temperatures in the upper 30s and low 40s will continue to be likely for the rest of next week and weekend and into the first part of the following week. The weather continues to look unsettled during that time as well.

Beyond that, the spread on the models is too large to draw any firm conclusions.

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.

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