Weather Impacts Wednesday-Thursday
An area of low pressure will pass just north of the region today, strengthening as it goes by.
Active Weather Updates
Snow spread into the Finger Lakes overnight and will continue for much of the day today.
There will be some breaks in the snow, especially across the southeastern half of the region. Areas further north and west will see steadier precipitation.
Some areas, mainly right along the lake shores, will see some rain mix in or take over completely, especially this afternoon. A few pockets of sleet or freezing rain will also be possible in the colder areas.
Temperatures will range through the 30s today with a few places hitting 40 degrees. All but a few of the higher elevations should at least be around 35 degrees.
Southerly winds will be breezy, turning more to a southwest wind in the afternoon. Top gusts will be 25-35 mph with the highest wind gusts over the higher elevations.
Road conditions will be variable today, with the messiest roads occurring during the morning hours. Once temperatures start rising above freezing later this morning and into the afternoon, road conditions will generally improve.
Some rural, higher elevation roads may remain slick throughout the day.
Snow accumulations by this evening will also be variable. Most lower elevations will see little if any accumulation. Some of the higher elevations east of Cayuga Lake and in the western Southern Tier may pick up a couple inches over the course of the day.
There will likely be a break in the snow for an hour or two late this afternoon and early this evening before lighter snow showers return during the evening. These snow showers will be along the cold front, with winds turning to the northwest behind the front.
Temperatures will drop steadily overnight, reaching a low in the mid and upper 10s to near 20 degrees.
Overnight, some narrow bands of lake effect will move into the region, originating from Lake Huron and the Georgian Bay and getting a slight boost from Lake Ontario.
These bands will persist into Thursday morning and will wobble about the region. Since they are originating from the upstream lakes and not Lake Ontario directly, the snow bands will probably be a bit further south than usual, impacting areas such as Geneva, Penn Yan, and Ithaca at times.
However, the Southern Tier, except for the far western areas, should still be far enough south to avoid most of this lake effect.
Since the bands will be wobbling around, expect rapid changes in weather conditions but overall light snow accumulation amounts. The bands may be intense at times, leading to poor visibility and slippery travel conditions.
During the afternoon, the bands will push to the north into the more typical snow belts of a northwesterly flow. Wayne, Cayuga, Cortland, and Onondaga counties will become the focal points for heavy snow bands.
The band movement should stabilize some as well, leading to several inches accumulating in some of these areas, especially in the higher elevations south of Syracuse.
Besides the areas of snow, tomorrow will be a bit windier than today. West-northwest and northwest winds will gust between 30-40 mph.
Temperatures will top out in the mid 20s tomorrow, but with the wind, it will feel more like the teens and single digits.
The narrow, intense lake effect bands will dissipate Thursday evening and will be replaced by a lighter spray of snow showers mainly over northern Cayuga and Onondaga counties. These should lift north of the area and dissipate early Friday morning, leaving behind an additional inch or two.
Weather This Weekend, Next Week
Outside of those few morning flurries, Friday will be a quiet day. There should even be some breaks of sunshine appearing here and there, though there will still be plenty of clouds, too.
Winds on Friday will be from the west early, then the southwest in the afternoon. Wind speeds will be around 10 mph early on, then becoming lighter in the afternoon.
Temperatures will start out ranging through the 10s with a high around 30 degrees.
A small weather system will pass through the area on Saturday with some light snow showers. Little if any accumulation is expected.
Light south winds ahead of this system will turn to the west late. Areas west of Seneca Lake may see a few gusts, but overall, it does not look too windy.
Saturday’s temperatures will start in the upper half of the 10s to near 20 degrees. Afternoon highs will top out around 30 degrees again.
North-northwest winds will develop on Sunday behind this system, possibly with a few gusts around 30 mph.
These winds will bring in cooler air. Morning lows will range through the 10s again, but afternoon highs will only be in the low and mid 20s.
A spray of lake effect snow showers will be possible. The snow, at this time, does not look well organized, so accumulations will probably be limited to a localized inch or two.
Monday will be similar, though the snow showers should be even lighter and more sporadic. Winds will also shift late in the day, swinging around to the southwest.
Still, it will be cold, with morning lows in the lower 10s and afternoon highs in the low 20s.
Some milder weather still looks possible toward the middle and end of next week with highs rising up into the 30s at least. The weather looks relatively quiet during this period, though it may get more active toward next weekend.
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.
Leave a Reply