Windy and cold with areas of lake effect snow

Tuesday and Wednesday Snow

Lake effect snow will impact the Finger Lakes region for the next three days, fluctuating in position and intensity several times.

Areas of light to moderate snow are widespread throughout the region this morning. The snow will gradually shrink in size later this morning and into the afternoon. The last areas to lose the snow will be the higher elevations of Cortland and southern Onondaga counties.

In fact, the snow will probably not completely end before it begins to grow and intensify again this evening.

Daytime accumulations will generally be an inch or two, but as always, some locally higher amounts are possible.

Northwest winds will gust as high as 40 mph, causing areas of blowing and drifting. With high temperatures only in the low 20s, the wind chill will feel like the single digits above and below zero degrees.

Multiple bands of lake effect are expected to develop tonight. A broad area of snow is likely over Wayne, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Cortland counties, also impacting portions of northern Seneca and Tompkins counties.

A second band off Lake Huron will cross northern western New York and push into the western and southern Finger Lakes, including the Bristol Hills, Penn Yan, and areas near or south of Ithaca.

These bands will persist for most of Wednesday, though their position is likely to wobble around. That will especially be the case with the more narrow, western band.

Snow accumulations tonight and Wednesday will vary throughout the region, with some areas seeing only a coating, or no accumulation at all.

The best chance for seeing three inches or more of accumulation will be in the Bristol Hills, and in the hilly terrain between Syracuse and Cortland, including southeastern Cayuga County.

Temperatures tonight will drop to mid 10s with wind gusts of 25-35 mph. Wednesday will see very little temperature change with most areas sticking to the upper 10s. Wind gusts will continue to be as high as 35 mph.

Late Week and Weekend Weather

A small weather system will move in Wednesday night into Thursday morning, leading to an overall increase in snow.

A broad area of snow showers should impact much of the region, though how much makes it into the Southern Tier is questionable. Embedded within the broader area of snow will be some heavier bands from the lake effect.

This snow will peak during the overnight hours Wednesday and into Thursday morning. Like today, the snow should gradually contract and weaken as Thursday goes on, with a chance for just some scattered snow showers eventually in the afternoon.

Several more inches of snow may fall Wednesday night and Thursday, favoring many of the same areas. The hilly areas between Syracuse and Cortland will likely see most, on the order of 3-6 additional inches. Amounts upward of 4 inches will also extend northwest into Wayne and northern Cayuga counties.

Thursday will still be windy as well, with northwest gusts of 35-40 mph once again.

Temperatures will start Thursday in the low 10s and will see highs in the low 20s.

Thursday night and Friday are expected to be quiet, albeit with plenty of lingering cloud cover. Overnight lows will be in the mid 10s with mid 20s for highs on Friday.

Winds will finally die down, with top gusts Friday generally near or under 20 mph.

Some widespread light snow will be possible Friday night into early Saturday. A general 1-2 inches is expected throughout the region.

Temperatures will rise into the mid and upper 20s on Saturday, with upper 20s and possibly a few areas hitting 30 degrees on Sunday. Sunday looks like Friday: quiet, but cloudy.

Snow showers will return on Monday with highs nearing 30 degrees. Before temperatures can get any warmer, they will get knocked back by a cold front on Tuesday.

By the middle of next week, temperatures will be as cold as they are now. However, winds will be light and from the west. Most of the lake effect snow next week will fall outside of the area, though some occasional snows off both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario will be possible from time to time.

More Information:

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This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected.