Temperatures to get a bit colder before moderating warmer

finger lakes weather 7-day forecast wed jan 28 | wed, some sun a few flurries mid 10 | thur, flurries, a few squalls mid 10 | fri, areas of lake effect snow upper 0 | sat, lake effect snow showers low 10 | sun, mostly cloudy mid 10 | mon, mostly sunny low 20 | tues, sun and clouds mid 20 — This graphic represents an average over the entire Finger Lakes region. Localized variations should be expected. Click to enlarge.

A cold front will move through the region on Thursday, ushering in a reinforcing shot of cold air. Temperatures Friday and Saturday will both be slightly colder than the other days this week with a spray of lake effect snow showers. Temperatures will then moderate with 20s possible next week.

Wednesday

What: Sun and clouds with a few stray flurries.

Impacts: None

Today will be a quiet day with little to no weather impacts. Much of the day will have some sunshine, but clouds will become more common in the afternoon. A few flurries will also be possible, mainly late in the day. Winds will be light with temperatures about the same as the last few days.

» For a more detailed look at today’s weather, see the Weather Planner post for today.

Thursday

What: Flurries and a few squalls

Impacts: Minor

A band of lake effect snow over Lake Ontario may be picked up by the cold front and brought through the northern half of the region as a snow squall during the midday and early afternoon. This should weaken as it heads south. This squall looks as though it will only have brief, minor impacts.

Additional snow showers will be possible ahead of the front and certainly behind it as a spray of lake effect off Lake Ontario sets up on northwest winds. This lake effect will be especially focused on the usual Wayne-northern Cayuga-Onondaga counties snowbelt. Snow accumulations through midnight should be less than an inch most places, but 3-6 inches in the snow belt.

Temperatures will be similar to today, but dropping a bit in the afternoon. Winds will be a bit stronger at 10-15 mph with a few gusts approaching 30 mph.

Friday

What: Cold with more lake effect snow showers

Impacts: Low

Lake effect snow will mainly stay in the snow belt described in Thursday’s forecast, but occasional snow showers may occasionally make excursions a bit further south. Several additional inches of fluffy snow will be possible in the snowbelt while other areas see a little sunshine poking between clouds.

Morning temperatures will start at or below zero for most areas not seeing lake effect snow. Afternoon highs will mainly be 5 to 10 degrees. Winds will again be 10-15 mph. This will result in wind chills of -10 to -20, possibly -25 during the morning, and wind chills of 0 to -10 during the afternoon.

Saturday

What: Lake effect snow showers further south

Impacts: Low

Winds over Lake Ontario will become more northerly Friday night into Saturday. This will turn the lake effect southward into more of a spray of snow showers instead of a single defined band. The snow will mainly stay across the northern half to two-thirds of the region with a couple inches of fluffy accumulation possible.

Wind speeds will be lower than Friday, but temperatures will not be much warmer. Morning lows will again be near or below zero for many, and afternoon highs will only just get above 10 degrees. Subzero wind chills will remain likely, though the more dangerous wind chills below -15 are less likely.

Sunday

What: Lingering clouds

Impacts: None

There continues to be strong agreement among the models that a coastal storm will only just clip the eastern seaboard, staying far from our region. If we see snow on Sunday, it is more likely to be a bit of lingering lake effect early in the morning. Lake-induced clouds, at least, will likely stick around much of the day. The atmosphere will be quiet dry, though, mostly preventing snow.

Temperatures will start to ease up a little with fewer subzero morning lows and afternoon highs in the mid 10s. This may be offset by an increase in wind, however, depending on the exact path and strength of the coastal low.

Next Week

Temperatures have a good shot at bouncing up into the 20s most days next week. During the latter half of the week, we may even get above 25 several times. The weather will start the week quiet, with sunny skies Monday and a mix of sun and clouds Tuesday. Quiet weather may extend further in the week, but is uncertain at this time. More active weather looks possible toward next weekend, but as of now, the models are not showing any high impact weather.

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