Arctic Cold
An arctic air mass is taking hold across most of the nation east of the Rocky Mountains, including here in the Finger Lakes.
Cold Weather Advisories, a new type of product issued by the National Weather Service taking the place of the old Wind Chill Advisory, are in effect from tonight through Wednesday morning.
Before the depth of the cold exerts itself on our region, there will be some areas of lake effect to contend with today.
Flurries and squalls over northern Western New York will gradually drift eastward today. The best chance for occasional squalls will be north of Route 20, which runs west-east slightly south of I-90.
Snow showers and a few heavier bursts may extend south of Route 20 at times but will be shorter lived and more sporadic.
Snow accumulations will not be too high today with an inch or two at most, but the squalls may briefly make travel hazardous this morning and during the first half of the afternoon.
Late in the afternoon, the squalls should move out with just a few snow showers off Lake Erie moving through the region.
Afternoon highs will mainly be in the mid 10s with locally colder temperatures.
Lake effect snow tonight will mainly be limited to areas west of I-390 in the far western Finger Lakes. A few clouds may extend a bit further east off Lake Erie, but most of the region will partly or fully clear out.
That will send temperatures below zero for at least the southern half of the region tonight with some areas reaching -5 to -10 degrees. To the north, temperatures will be near or just above zero, though even there, pockets of subzero temperatures are possible.
Tuesday will have a mix of sun and clouds with a few afternoon snow showers. Winds will be from the southwest near 10 mph, but these will be cold winds.
High temperatures will be several degrees colder than today, with low 10s in the valleys and highs near or below 10 degrees in the higher elevations.
Skies should clear again Tuesday night, bringing in the core of this cold air. All areas are expected to drop below zero and much of the southern half of the region may be between -10 and -15 degrees. Locally colder pockets are possible. To the north, temperatures should be in the single digits below zero.
Wednesday looks quiet with sunshine much of the day until some clouds build in late. High temperatures will be similar to Tuesday, mainly in the low 10s. Winds will be light with speeds near or under 5 mph.
Warming Temperatures
Beyond Wednesday, temperatures will slowly start to climb as southerly winds take hold.
Wednesday night will still be cold, but not nearly as cold as Tuesday night. Localized pockets may slip below zero during the evening, but temperatures should rise slightly and mainly stay safely above zero degrees overnight.
However, the increase in wind speed will result in wind chill values below zero anyway Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.
Thursday may have a few snow showers, but with little to no accumulation. Highs will jump into the mid 20s.
Mainly cloudy skies are expected on Friday with a few sporadic flurries. Temperatures will start the day around 10 degrees and once again top out in the mid 20s.
There will be little change in the overall conditions on Saturday. Skies will be cloudy and a few flurries will be possible. Temperatures will start out near 10 degrees again, but will rise to near 30 degrees in the afternoon.
Sunday will be a touch warmer with morning lows near 20 degrees and afternoon highs in the low 30s.
The chances for some snow may creep upward next week, but no significant snowfalls are expected at this time.
Temperatures will most likely slip back into the 20s for highs and 10s overnight, but no big arctic air outbreaks like this week are expected again any time soon.
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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