Tuesday Morning
What: Strong winds, areas of lake effect snow
Where: Region-wide, but especially in northeastern Wayne, far northern Cayuga, and Onondaga counties in and around Syracuse
Impacts: Wide Ranging
A spray of lake effect snow bands exists across the region early Tuesday morning and will persist for most of the morning hours. The steadiest, heaviest band is in the far northeastern Finger Lakes, including the Syracuse area. Other bands are weaker and more wobbly, not necessarily staying in the same location for too long.
Additional snow amounts this morning in the northeastern Finger Lakes will be significant with occasional snowfall rates as high as two inches per hour. The remainder of the region will see variable amounts ranging from less than an inch to locally three or four inches.
Strong northwest winds will continue to gust between 40-50 mph, leading to reduced visibility and areas of blowing and drifting snow. With temperatures in the upper 10s and low 20s, wind chill values are as low as -5.
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Tuesday Afternoon
What: Winds slowly drop; snow consolidates northeast
Where: Winds drop northwest to southeast; snow consolidating mainly over the same far northeastern areas.
Impacts: Generally low, except in the northeast
Lake effect snow will gradually shift northward, consolidating over the same far northeastern parts of the region. Several more inches will likely fall in these areas.
This consolidation will be a process, so additional snow is still expected elsewhere in the region, especially during the first half of the afternoon. Accumulations should be minimal, though.
Wind speeds will gradually decline but will remain blustery with gusts over 30 mph. Blowing and drifting snow will continue in prone areas.
Temperatures will reach a high in the low 20s this afternoon.
Tuesday Night
What: Lake effect snow continues to shift northward
Where: Snow will eventually exit the northeastern FLX, reenter the southwestern FLX
Impacts: Generally low
Locally heavy snow will persist in and around Syracuse this evening, but the snow band should lift north out of the Finger Lakes region shortly after midnight as winds become more westerly.
Around the same time, snow from Lake Erie will move back into the southwestern Finger Lakes, extending into parts of southern Steuben County. By sunrise, lake effect snow may extend across the Southern Tier, including Elmira and Binghamton.
Elsewhere, it will be quiet with some breaks in the clouds. Wind speeds will continue to drop. Overnight temperatures will remain steady in the low 20s.
Wednesday Morning-Early Afternoon
What: Areas of snow showers off Lake Erie
Where: Throughout the southern half of the region, possibly making it as far north as Penn Yan, Moravia, and Tully
Impacts: Low
Winds will take on a west-southwesterly direction over Lake Erie, sending its snow a bit further north into the region. Most of this snow should be light, though some areas west of Keuka Lake may see a couple inches. Further north, only sporadic flurries are expected.
Wind speeds will be around 10 mph with gusts to 20 mph. Temperatures will reach the mid and upper 20s.
Wednesday Late Afternoon-Early Evening
What: Widespread snow with embedded intense squalls
Where: Region-wide
Impacts: Moderate-High
A cold front will sweep through the region during the early evening hours. Ahead of the front, snow will become more widespread and intensify. Within the broader area of snow, one or two intense snow squalls will be possible. These squalls will be capable of near-zero visibility and a quick inch of accumulation.
The widespread snow and squalls should exit the region during the late evening hours. Some limited lake effect may develop overnight. Overnight lows will reach the mid 10s.
Thursday-Saturday
What: Continued on and off lake effect snow
Where: Region-wide
Impacts: Generally minimal, but watching Friday
The late week period, and first few days of 2026, will be chilly with some occasional snow.
Thursday’s snow looks quite limited with few if any impacts across the area. It will be the coldest day, with highs not reaching 20 degrees in most places.
Friday has some early signs of the potential for another round of cold front-induced snow squalls, but remains uncertain at this time. At the very least, some widespread snow with light accumulations will be possible. Highs will reach the mid 20s.
Saturday will be more like Thursday than Friday, with isolated lake effect snow showers with minimal impacts. Highs will reach the low 20s.
Long-Range Outlook
The spread of possibilities shown on the weather models beyond the weekend is too broad to draw any firm conclusions from. Temperatures should be seasonable, with no big warm-ups or big cold shots reliably showing. Likewise, there are no substantial snow threats reliably showing.
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This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected.
Mary Fetcho
Hi Drew!
I REALLY like this format you’ve been using lately!! So much great, specific weather information! I hope you get enough support to continue it.