Weather Through Thanksgiving
Warm air has pushed into the Finger Lakes region ahead of a cold front this afternoon as one last “hurrah” before consistently cold weather settles in.
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Most areas are starting the day around 50 degrees. Afternoon highs will be in the upper 50s with a few pockets hitting 60 degrees, particularly if some sun can sneak out this afternoon.
Intermittent showers will be more common than sun, though, particularly this morning. The midday and early afternoon hours should have fewer showers.
The cold front will sweep across the region with relatively little fanfare during the latter half of the afternoon. A few scattered showers will develop along the front and may develop enough for a clap of thunder or two over the eastern Finger Lakes, but not everyone will see rain with the frontal passage.
Winds will be from the south this morning, then the southwest for the midday and afternoon. Wind speeds will be around 10 mph. The wind direction may briefly jog to the west with the frontal passage but will settle back in from the southwest tonight.
Cold air will quickly move in tonight, with temperatures dropping into the 30s. Any lingering stray showers will turn to stray flurries, but for the most part, it will be dry tonight with partly cloudy skies.
Southwest winds will keep snow from Lake Erie in the Buffalo area and west of Rochester, but winds will turn to a west-southwest direction Thursday morning.
At first, the snow will stay over western New York with just a few sporadic snow showers around Thursday morning. As winds increase and the band becomes better organized, it will move further inland and into the Finger Lakes during the midday and afternoon.
While still not as intense as further west, snow showers and embedded squalls will be possible Thursday afternoon, particularly across Livingston, Ontario, Yates, Seneca, and Cayuga Counties. However, with daytime temperatures in the mid and upper 30s to near 40 degrees, roadways should remain in overall good condition until the evening twilight.
As the sun sets, the snow will shift a bit further south, mainly staying south of Route 20 while also entering the northern half of Steuben County, and Schuyler, Tompkins and Cortland counties. The snow will be heavier and steadier west of Keuka Lake.
During the overnight, winds will continue to shift, turning to a northwesterly direction. The Lake Erie band will mainly impact the western Southern Tier, while the Lake Ontario band will start to approach from the north. For most of the Finger Lakes, the overnight will be a period of intermittent snow showers with minor accumulations.
Thanksgiving Weekend Weather
As the sun rises on Black Friday, the Lake Erie band should be exiting the region completely while the Lake Ontario band makes its way into Wayne, northern Cayuga, and Onondaga counties. It remains a bit uncertain how quickly this will move in and when the heaviest snow will make it into the Syracuse area, but this will probably happen no later than 8 or 9 AM.
Flurries and squalls will wobble about the northeastern half of the region throughout Friday, partly depending on upstream lake effect from the Georgian Bay and Lake Huron.
With temperatures starting in the upper 20s and only reaching the low and mid 30s for highs, road conditions will be variable and, in squalls, difficult to traverse at times.
The snow bands may become more consolidated Friday night, meaning fewer areas will see the snow, but those that do may see several inches fall in a matter of a few hours.
Snow should gradually taper off Saturday morning, then end altogether as winds turn to the south Saturday afternoon.
Snow totals between Thursday and Friday will be highly variable. Most areas should see little to no accumulation through Thursday afternoon. After that, the western Southern Tier and northeastern quadrant of the Finger Lakes will see the highest amounts. Depending on how the snow bands set up, localized amounts of 6 inches or more are possible.
In addition to the snow Thursday and Friday, it will also be quite windy, with gusts near or over 40 mph both days. Reduced visibility in squalls and blowing and drifting snow will be common.
The next weather system will roll in on Sunday, starting with some snow before turning over to rain. Highs will make it near 40 degrees.
Next week looks cold and wintry with highs consistently in the 30s. A weather system will pass by or through the area sometime around Tuesday, which bears monitoring. Lake effect snow will also come and go throughout the week.
If anything, temperatures may get even colder after that, making it look like winter is truly arriving for the Finger Lakes.
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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