Winter isn’t done with the Finger Lakes just yet.
After a relatively mild start to the week, a powerful cold front is set to slam the region late Monday, ushering in a sharp return to wintry conditions. Forecasters say temperatures will plummet, rain will quickly turn to snow, and wind chills will dive into the teens—conditions more typical of February than early April.
A brief period of fair weather Monday morning will give way to thickening clouds and rain showers by mid-afternoon. But as the strong cold front crosses the region later in the day, rain will rapidly change to snow, with most areas expected to receive at least a coating. Higher elevations could see one to two inches, while the Tug Hill Plateau might pick up as much as three inches. Winds will intensify overnight, gusting up to 35 mph, and sending wind chills into the single digits and teens as temperatures fall into the 20s.
Tuesday will bring little relief. The National Weather Service is calling for widespread snow showers and continued gusty winds. A deep longwave trough—described as a once-in-20-year April setup—will lock in the frigid air. Daytime highs will struggle to reach the low 30s, around 20 degrees below normal for this time of year. Western parts of the region could see nuisance accumulations of less than an inch, but areas east of Lake Ontario may be buried under 2 to 5 inches of lake-enhanced snow. A winter weather advisory has been issued for those areas.
The cold will begin to ease slightly by Wednesday, which is expected to be mostly sunny with a high near 41. But it won’t last. A new weather system will bring a renewed chance of rain and snow showers late Wednesday into Thursday, followed by unsettled conditions through the weekend.
Temperatures will slowly climb back toward seasonal norms, but the week ahead promises to be a reminder that spring in the Finger Lakes can still feel a lot like winter.
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