Cold Front
Temperatures are off to a mild, by recent standards, start this morning as warm air builds in ahead of a cold front.
Southerly flow has temperatures near or in the 30s this morning. Expect a rise of a few more degrees this morning with highs topping out in the low and mid 30s.
The cold front will make its way across the region during the late morning and early afternoon, turning winds more westerly and putting a halt to the warming.
The front will be accompanied by some scattered snow showers and a few brief snow bursts. Not everyone will see snow as the front goes through, and even those that see a burst of snow will see no more than an inch fall.
Winds will become southwesterly behind the front with speeds increasing to near or over 10 mph. Temperatures will lose a couple degrees this afternoon, placing most areas back close to where they are starting the day by the mid afternoon.
There will be some scattered lake effect snow showers behind the front, mainly across the northern half of the region coming off Lake Erie.
The lake effect will become better organized during the second half of the evening and will start to move southward overnight. By the predawn hours, most of the snow should be over the counties boarding Pennsylvania with west winds.
With the transient band, snow accumulations this evening will be minimal while the overnight could see a few localized amounts up to an inch.
Temperatures will fall fast tonight, reaching the mid 10s by sunrise Tuesday.
The Lake Erie band will wobble around the Southern Tier tomorrow morning and early afternoon, possibly coming as far north as Watkins Glen and Ithaca for brief times.
Locally another inch or two will be possible before winds turn more northwesterly, and the band moves into Pennsylvania.
The late afternoon and early evening hours should be mostly quiet across the Finger Lakes, but the Lake Ontario band will also start to move south during the evening. By midnight, a spray of flurries and squalls should be established across much of the region.
The lake effect will diminish early Wednesday though stray snow showers are likely into the afternoon over the northeastern Finger Lakes. Snow accumulation Tuesday night and Wednesday will range from 1 to 4 inches in the areas of more persistent snow, with a coating to an inch elsewhere.
Temperatures will remain cool with highs Tuesday in the low 20s and Wednesday only a couple degrees higher. Overnight lows Tuesday and Wednesday night will be well into the 10s.
The wind will be a bit blustery on Wednesday as well, with a few gusts reaching 30 mph.
Another Warm Up, Another Cool Down
Winds will turn back to the southwest Wednesday night as the next weather system approaches.
This low will be well to the north over Canada and followed closely by another system moving across central Canada late this week. The presence of the second system will prevent the first from bringing in any cold air behind it.
As such, temperatures will steadily increase Thursday through Saturday. Expect upper 20s Thursday, mid 30s Friday, and upper 30s on Saturday.
The first system will bring some widespread light snow Thursday afternoon and evening. Only an inch or so is expected to fall.
A few snow showers may linger into Friday morning before a dry afternoon and evening.
Saturday will have precipitation in the area from the second system, some of which will likely fall as rain with the warming temperatures.
Behind the second system, cold air will return. Highs Sunday may still reach 30 degrees, but Monday may not reach 20 and Tuesday may struggle to even reach 10 degrees. Sub-zero nighttime temperatures are a distinct possibility for the middle of next week.
Lake effect may be limited early next week with high pressure moving overhead, but that remains uncertain at this time.
Temperatures will remain in the 10s for most of next week, though 20s may return by the following weekend.
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.
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