Lake Effect Snow Friday and Early Saturday
Lake effect snow squalls continue to impact the Finger Lakes today with large variations in weather conditions and snow accumulations.
Active Weather Updates
This morning, snow bands off of both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are impacting the region.
Across the Southern Tier, Lake Erie is sending persistent squalls through Allegany, Steuben and Chemung counties, with more intermittent snow to areas just a bit further north and east.
This band will remain focused on the western Southern Tier today, especially in Allegany and southern Steuben counties as it sags a bit further south.
To the north, the Lake Ontario band is most intense across northern Cayuga and Onondaga counties but stretches back to the west beyond Rochester.
This band will likely move south and redevelop further north several times today. The highest accumulations will be near the Lake Ontario shore in Cayuga County and north of I-90 in Onondaga County, but several inches will be possible for areas further south as well.
A northwest to southeast stripe across the middle of the Finger Lakes, from roughly Rochester to Geneva, Penn Yan, Ithaca, and toward Binghamton, will see mainly off and on snow showers and perhaps a few brief squalls today.
A few of these areas saw some snow accumulations overnight as the winds shifted and the snow bands moved into the current position, but there should be less change in the overall pattern today, keeping these areas with lower impacts.
Winds will become just a bit more northerly this evening, reducing the strength and extent of the Lake Erie band while bringing the Lake Ontario band a bit further south. A couple of additional inches of snow will fall across Wayne, Cayuga, Onondaga, Cortland, and possibly northern Seneca and Tompkins counties.
Early Saturday morning, the lake effect should be reduced to a spattering of lighter snow showers retreating back northward toward Syracuse. By the mid-morning hours, the snow should lift north completely out of the area as winds turn more southwesterly.
The rest of Saturday should remain cloudy.
Winds will be strong today, adding blowing snow and reduced visibility to the mix. Northwest gusts to 40 mph are possible. A few blustery gusts will be possible early Saturday before much lighter winds in the afternoon.
Temperatures today will top out in the low and mid 30s before dropping to the mid 20s overnight. Highs on Saturday will again be in the mid 30s.
Active, Wintry Weather Pattern
An area of low pressure will pass to our west and north on Sunday.
Precipitation will move in early Sunday morning. With temperatures in the 20s, this will be snow with some minor accumulations possible.
Overtime, the snow will transition to rain as blustery south winds push warmer air into the area. Gusts to 40 mph will be possible again with afternoon highs around 40 degrees.
As a whole, the precipitation on Sunday looks light, coming and going rather than falling steadily all day. The snow early on looks a bit steadier than the rain. Travel conditions should remain in fair shape, except perhaps some of the rural routes early Sunday morning, which may be a bit slick.
Monday will be a quiet day and there may even be a little sunshine. Northwest winds will be blustery in the morning resulting in windchills under 15 degrees. Lighter winds are expected in the afternoon.
Temperatures Monday will start in the mid 20s with a high near 30 degrees.
Another low pressure will pass to our south on Tuesday, possibly tapping into some Atlantic Ocean moisture. While most models have the core of the snow well to our southeast, a few do bring it into the Finger Lakes.
Most likely, this will mean a widespread light snow of a couple inches, but I’m watching closely in case it turns into more.
Lake effect snows will be possible Wednesday and Thursday behind this system, with another system possible late in the week.
Temperatures will settle into a wintry pattern with highs struggling to get above the freezing mark and overnight lows well down into the 20s.
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This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected.
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