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Wednesday Daytime
What: Mostly cloudy with gradually increasing rain showers
Impacts: None
Skies will be mostly to completely cloudy this morning. While a stray spit of rain cannot be ruled out, most of the showers will hold off until the afternoon.
Rain will gradually become more widespread during the latter half of the afternoon through sunset.
Temperatures will only rise a couple of degrees today, but that will be enough to get most places near or above 40 degrees. Winds will be light and generally from the southwest.
Wednesday Night
What: Rain turning to heavy snow
Impacts: Minor early, then High
Expected snow accumulation by sunrise: Highly variable, but generally 3-6 inches.
The transition from rain to snow will take place during the evening hours. It will be a complex transition, taking place both from west to east and from higher to lower elevations simultaneously. A few pockets may be able to stay rain until as late as 10 or 11 PM, but most areas should start to see snow before then.
Once the snow starts, it will immediately be heavy for much of the night before becoming a bit lighter, but still steady, toward sunrise.
Temperatures will drop steadily through the 30s and 20s tonight. As temperatures drop below freezing during the mid to late evening hours, roads will become icy and snowy. Overnight lows will mainly be in the low 20s.
Winds will also pick up later this evening from the northwest with occasional gusts to 30 mph.
Thursday
What: Continued snow, wind
Impacts: Moderate/High
Expected daytime snowfall accumulations: 1-4 inches, locally higher
Snow will continue for much of Thursday across the Finger Lakes as moisture wraps around the backside of the low. Lake effect may also contribute, especially late in the day when some embedded squalls may show up.
The snow will not be as wet as the nighttime snow, making it more prone to blowing and drifting as northwest winds continue to gust as high as 30 mph.
Generally speaking, the higher amounts will be close to the shore of Lake Ontario, where some localized amounts could exceed 6 inches. The Southern Tier, meanwhile, may only see an additional inch or so.
Road conditions will be highly variable, but generally sloppy to poor. Temperatures will fall during the day into the 10s, getting cold enough that road salt will start to lose its effectiveness. With the wind, it will feel closer to zero degrees.
Thursday Night
What: Widespread snow ends, lake effect lingers
Impacts: Low
Expected nighttime snow accumulation: 0-2 inches.
Widespread snow will quickly wind down during the evening hours, leaving just some isolated lake effect snow bands crossing the region. These will be transitory, not staying in one place long.
As such, most of the snow accumulation Thursday night will take place before 10 PM.
Winds will remain steady from the west-northwest with speeds as high as 15 mph and gusts locally reaching 30 mph. Blowing and drifting snow will persist.
Temperatures will generally hold steady in the mid 10s.
Friday
What: Some late snow showers
Impacts: Minor
Expected snowfall: Less than an inch
Any lingering lake effect snow should lift north out of the region very early Friday morning as southerly winds take over.
A few breaks of sunshine may be possible during the morning, but clouds will remain plentiful for most of the day.
A band of snow showers will pass through during the afternoon or early evening, generally leaving less than an inch of accumulation behind.
Temperatures will reach the mid 20s during the day, then rise to the upper 20s overnight.
Saturday
What: Some late snow showers
Impacts: Minor
Expected snowfall: Less than an inch
South winds will push temperatures into the mid 30s on Saturday. Like Friday, some breaks of sun will be possible, mixing in with otherwise cloudy skies.
Also like Friday, some late snow showers are expected. While Friday’s snow was from a warm front, this snow will be along a cold front. Accumulations should again be less than an inch for most.
Sunday
What: Colder, but quiet
Impacts: None
Temperatures on Sunday will start out around 20 degrees and only rise a couple of degrees.
No precipitation is expected with a mix of sun and clouds. Winds will be from the southwest and noticeable, but not too strong.
Sunday night will remain quiet with temperatures falling into the 10s.
Next Week
Temperatures next week will be cold, with most days seeing highs in the lower half of the 20s. Tuesday will be coldest with highs likely sticking in the 10s.
Snow will be limited to some snow showers from passing systems and subsequent lake effect. No major accumulations are expected in the Finger Lakes, though some snowbelts outside of the region could see heavier amounts.
More Information:
» Finger Lakes Weather Radar
» Zip Code Forecasts
» Get the FLX Weather Mobile App
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This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected.
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