Icy Thursday Morning
High pressure will slide through the area today, but our next weather maker will not be far behind.
A little lingering lake effect snow is passing through the region this morning as well. Cayuga Lake is enhancing the snow locally around the Ithaca area, where an inch or two may fall before the lake effect dissipates.
Thin clouds ahead of the next system are already building in, so any sunshine between lake effect bands will be slightly filtered this morning.
Clouds with a little filtered sunshine will be the rule for the afternoon, with winds becoming nearly calm. Temperatures will peak in the mid 20s, then drop back in the upper 10s and low 20s this evening. Colder temperatures will be found east of Cayuga Lake.
Southeast winds will pick up overnight, leading temperatures to rise back to the mid 20s by sunrise. Precipitation will also start to move in during the predawn and early morning hours.
A mixed bag of precipitation types is likely Thursday morning. Sleet will be the most common precipitation, but some eastern areas may start out with an inch or two of snow.
The main batch of precipitation will move through rather quickly, only lasting a couple hours and departing by mid-morning. However, scattered sleet and areas of freezing rain or freezing drizzle will remain likely into the midday.
This will make untreated surfaces slick and necessitate extra travel time, especially early in the morning.
Temperatures will briefly make it into the upper 30s and low 40s on Thursday with precipitation turning to spits of rain.
Winds will also be gusty, coming in from the south. Top gusts over higher elevations may exceed 40 mph, with 30-40 mph gusts in the lower elevations.
Cooler air will move back in toward sunset as winds turn to the southwest. Strong winds with gusts over 40 mph will be possible in the northwestern Finger Lakes, as usual with a southwest wind. Gusts will be around or just over 30 mph elsewhere.
Nighttime temperatures will drop to the mid 20s. A few flurries will be possible, but most areas will stay dry overnight.
More Sloppy Weather
Friday will give us a break in the weather with some limited lake effect in the far northeastern portions of the region. Most of the lake effect should even stay north of Syracuse.
The rest of the region can expect mostly cloudy skies, not unlike today, with a high in the mid 20s.
Winds will turn to the west-northwest but will remain gusty. Widespread gusts to 40 mph are likely.
The start of Saturday will be quiet and cloudy with much lighter south winds as high pressure passes through.
Another low will be quick to move in by Saturday evening. The path of this low will be very important for precipitation type in our region. It remains too early to tell exactly what to expect, but at this early stage, snow or freezing rain seems most likely. Stay tuned.
The worst of this wintry weather will come Saturday night. By Sunday morning, precipitation should be tapering off and turning to all snow. Still, expect slick conditions at a minimum early Sunday morning.
Winds on Sunday will once again become strong, coming in from the northwest. The strongest winds will be in the morning with gusts to 40 mph.
Temperatures will stay in the mid 20s throughout Sunday.
Quiet weather is expected for Monday with clouds and some sun and highs around 30 degrees. Tuesday also looks quiet, but quite uncertain as a complex weather pattern begins to unfold across the northeastern quadrant of the United States.
Wintry weather will eventually become more likely Wednesday and Thursday next week, but it is too early to tell what we may see or if most of the action will focus elsewhere.
As always, be wary of hype and premature detailed forecasts.
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.
Weather Photos Needed!
Have you captured the beauty of the weather in the Finger Lakes with a picture? I accept user photos year-round for use in the blog and maybe even the annual calendar! Just fill out the easy uploader form to submit your photos. » Submit your photos here! «
Alex fish
Go Drew