Widespread accumulating snow on Wednesday

Tuesday, Wednesday Snow

A weak cold front is moving through the Finger Lakes this morning with some snow showers.

This front will also kick up a limited lake response with additional snow showers this afternoon and evening.

For the most part, though, accumulations from snowfall today will be under an inch. The best chance for a couple of inches will be across Onondaga, northern Cayuga, and far eastern Wayne counties this evening, when a small lake effect band briefly organizes.

Perhaps more notable than the few snow showers today will be the blustery winds behind the front. Wind speeds will be 10-15 mph during the second half of the morning and the first half of the afternoon. The wind will be coming from the west-northwest with gusts of 25-35 mph.

Some localized blowing and drifting snow is likely, especially in areas that saw several inches Sunday night, and along north-south running roadways. This should only cause slight travel issues in rural, open areas.

High temperatures today will reach the low and mid 30s.

Skies will attempt to clear this evening outside of the lake effect areas, but a widespread deck of clouds ahead of our next weather maker will quickly fill in any breaks in the clouds. Winds will turn to the south, then southeast, but will be light with speeds under 5 mph.

By Wednesday morning, temperatures should be in the low and mid 20s with a few colder pockets. Snow will quickly move in from southwest to northeast, overspreading the entire area between about 8-11 AM.

It will snow steadily for several hours and will come down hard at times. With temperatures warming through the 20s, but staying below freezing, the snow will accumulate on the roadways, making travel less ideal.

During the second half of the afternoon, sleet will start to mix in for some areas, and may even become the dominant precipitation type for a time. By the evening, the precipitation will have tapered off to just a few stray rain showers.

Snow and sleet accumulations tomorrow will be a widespread 2-4 inches, with a few localized areas seeing as much as 6 inches. These higher amounts are most likely in the higher elevations across the southern half of the region, and close to Lake Ontario.

Because a snow map would mostly just be a single color, and the small deviations from the general 2-4 inch range will be localized and not widespread, I will not have a snowfall map for this event.

Late Week Weather and Beyond

As precipitation tapers off late Wednesday afternoon and early in the evening, temperatures will rise into the mid and even upper 30s. This should lead to improving travel conditions late. Above-freezing temperatures should persist through the night.

However, temperatures will begin to drop Thursday morning as winds turn to the northwest and increase. Temperatures will drop through the 30s and spend much of the day in the mid and upper 20s. Wind gusts around 30 mph will be commonplace.

Thursday will have snow showers, but with little additional accumulation. The best chance for an inch or two will be in the favored areas southeast of Lake Ontario across Wayne, Cayuga, Onondaga, and perhaps far northern Cortland counties.

Lake effect will become well organized for a time Thursday night and early Friday, but should stay near or even north of Syracuse. While several inches will fall within this band, the vast majority of the Finger Lakes will see little to no snowfall. There may even be a little sunshine at times on Friday.

With the potential for some clearing, some areas may start Friday in the 10s, while others that see clouds will stick to the 20s. Highs on Friday will be around 30 degrees.

The weekend looks unsettled but milder. Both rain and snow showers are expected on Saturday and Sunday. Snow will be most possible during the morning hours, with rain showers more likely in the afternoon.

Highs on Saturday will be in the mid and upper 30s, while Sunday will be in the upper 30s to around 40 degrees.

The chances for snow look low next week, and after a brief cool-down Monday and Tuesday, temperatures may push towards 40 degrees again toward the middle of next week. However, colder air is likely behind that, with below-average temperatures for a time as we head into early February.

More Information:

» Finger Lakes Weather Radar

» Zip Code Forecasts

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

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