Late Week Weather
Today will be a chilly and windy day in the wake of yesterday’s cold front, which also means areas of lake effect snow.
Winds will be from the southwest today with speeds at or above 15 mph. Top gusts will be in the 35-45 mph range, with the strongest winds over the northwestern Finger Lakes, as usual in a southwesterly flow.
The southwest winds mean whatever snow is in the area today will be associated with Lake Erie. A snow band is expected to mature this morning and persist into the afternoon, wobbling about the northern Finger Lakes.
With the strong winds, the band may penetrate as far inland as the Syracuse area at times, but the most intense snowfall will be near and west of I-390.
The position of the band will more or less be near or slightly south of I-90, with fluctuations in position leading to variations in the weather across both time and location.
Accumulations will likewise vary, but locally could amount to a couple inches. The chances for this increase the further west you go.
Outside of the main band, a few stray flurries will be possible. Sunshine should be expected away from the band as well, particularly across the southern half of the region.
Temperatures will mainly stick to the 20s today, though a few of the typically warmer valley locations may get to 30 degrees. Some western hilltops may not reach 25 degrees.
Lake effect will retreat back to the west tonight and pivot further south, leaving clearing skies across much of the region.
By Friday, the weak remains of the Lake Erie band will primarily be to our west and southwest, while the Lake Ontario band will stay just north across Oswego county.
There should be plenty of sunshine across the Finger Lakes, with a few occasional clouds on the edges of the region, closer to the lake effect areas.
It will be another cold day with morning lows well into the 10s and afternoon highs in the low and mid 20s. It will be much less windy, though.
Weather This Weekend, Next Week
A very strong high pressure system will pass overhead Friday night into Saturday.
I rarely put numbers to the pressure, as it does not mean much to most people, but this system will have pressure values between 1045-1050 millibars (mb). The all-time high pressure records for our region are around 1051-1053 millibars, whereas the normal pressure is considered to be around 1010 mb.
This is little more than a fun tidbit, but practically speaking, it will mean a clear, cold start to Saturday. Expect morning lows in the low and mid 10s for most areas, but with single digits in typically cooler areas.
Sunshine will stick with us most of Saturday with a slight southerly breeze gradually picking up. Afternoon highs will rise to the upper 20s and low 30s.
Clouds and wind speeds will increase Saturday night into Sunday. A few rain or snow showers will be possible late in the day, but they may mainly hold off until after sunset. Highs Sunday will be in the upper 30s with a few areas touching 40 degrees.
Monday and Tuesday will be mild next week with some rain showers, especially on Tuesday. Highs will be in the mid and upper 40s, respectively.
Cooler air will settle back in late in the week with a highly uncertain chance for some snow by Thursday.
Temperatures will turn colder next weekend with highs likely in the 20s, followed by a slow climb back into the 30s by Christmas.
Temperatures look as though they will be cold enough, but will there be snow to make Christmas white? It is too early to count on anything one way or the other.
More Information:
» Finger Lakes Weather Radar
» Zip Code Forecasts
» 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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