Snow showers today ahead of some quieter, slightly milder weather

Early Week Weather Forecast

Areas of lake effect snow, enhanced by the eastern Finger Lakes themselves, have been ongoing since yesterday afternoon.

However, winds are shifting slightly this morning, and the focal point for lake effect will shift.

The snow will taper off across the southeastern Finger Lakes and move to the northeastern corner of the region, including the Syracuse area for much of the remainder of the morning. Still, stray snow showers may linger across the areas seeing snow early this morning until midday.

Lake effect snow will continue to trek northward and should exit the region during the early afternoon.

The shifting winds will be in response to a small impulse of atmospheric energy passing through. Scattered, mainly light snow showers will accompany this feature throughout the region later this afternoon and early this evening.

Snow amounts this morning will be another inch or two across portions of Tompkins, Tioga, Cortland, and southern Cayuga counties. As the snow moves north, a few inches may be locally possible in far northern Cayuga and northern Onondaga counties.

With the snow showers this afternoon and evening, accumulations should be under an inch.

Wind speeds will be near or just over 10 mph, turning from the northwest this morning to the southwest this afternoon.

Temperatures will be a bit warmer than yesterday thanks to those southwest afternoon winds, with highs averaging out in the mid 20s.

The wind will remain from the west-southwest and southwest overnight, keeping the area mainly free of lake effect. Some clearing may even take place between midnight and dawn, helping temperatures fall into the upper 0s and low to mid 10s.

Any clearing that persists into Tuesday morning as some sunshine will gradually be replaced by increasing and thickening clouds. No precipitation is expected on Tuesday, though.

Winds will become southerly on Tuesday with light speeds around or just over 5 mph. Temperatures will respond with a high around 30 degrees in lower elevations and in the mid and upper 20s in the higher terrain.

Tuesday night will be quiet as well, though the southerly wind will pick up a bit. Some higher elevations may see gusts over 30 mph after midnight.

Overnight lows will be in the mid 20s thanks to the clouds and winds.

Later Week Weather

Wednesday will be a cloudy day. A stray spit of rain or snow cannot be ruled out, but for the most part, it will be dry.

Winds will gradually turn from the south to the southwest and then west. Wind speeds will be slightly lower than Tuesday night, averaging out around 10 mph.

Afternoon highs will range from 35-40 degrees. A few of the broad valleys of the Southern Tier may get into the low 40s.

The wind will go back to the south Wednesday night and become blustery on Thursday. Skies will be a mix of clouds and some sun with no precipitation expected during the daytime hours. Afternoon highs should be in the low and mid 40s.

Rain will move in Thursday night with temperatures remaining in the 40s. A cold front will move through very early Friday morning, with temperatures falling into the mid and upper 30s shortly after sunset.

As the rain moves out, it may end as a little snow. Cold west winds will bring in snow showers off Lake Erie for the rest of Friday as temperatures continue to fall, reaching the mid 20s by the afternoon.

Snow accumulations in the Finger Lakes on Friday should be minimal.

Temperatures will bounce back to the mid 30s this weekend. Saturday looks cloudy but dry, while a few flurries may be possible on Sunday.

Next week, Christmas week, is currently looking seasonable with highs mainly in the 30s. There will probably be some snow showers here and there, but no major weather concerns are being hinted at on the models at this time.

More Information:

» Finger Lakes Weather Radar

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This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected.

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