A powerful cold front is set to sweep across the Finger Lakes and Central New York overnight, bringing rain that will quickly turn to snow, plummeting temperatures, and dangerously strong winds.
The National Weather Service has issued Wind Advisories across much of the region, warning of gusts reaching 50 mph beginning early Tuesday morning and continuing into the evening. These winds could knock down tree limbs and cause scattered power outages.
The front will usher in a rapid drop in temperatures Monday night, with lows falling into the upper teens and lower 20s. Rain will transition to snow as the cold air arrives. While the Lake Plain will see minimal accumulation, higher elevations in the Southern Tier could get 1 to 2 inches, while areas east of Lake Ontario could receive between 4 and 9 inches.
Forecasters expect the heaviest snow to fall late Monday night through Tuesday morning in the Tug Hill region. Brief bursts of snowfall may reduce visibility to a half mile, with rates possibly reaching an inch per hour at times. Blowing snow caused by strong winds will add to travel concerns east of Lake Ontario.
Lake effect and upslope snow will continue in some areas into Tuesday, with snowfall becoming more scattered during the day. As northwesterly winds pick up, gusts of 35 to 50 mph will develop, especially along the southern Lake Ontario shoreline and across the Finger Lakes.
The Wind Advisory from the Buffalo office covers Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Northern Cayuga, Oswego, Genesee, Livingston, and Ontario counties from 1 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Binghamton office has issued a similar advisory for Yates, Seneca, Southern Cayuga, Onondaga, Schuyler, Tompkins, Madison, Southern Oneida, and Cortland counties from 2 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Conditions will remain cold Tuesday night, with lows again dipping into the teens and low 20s. While snow showers will linger east of Lake Ontario into Wednesday, most of the region will see drier weather and slightly milder conditions by midweek.
The next system arrives late Wednesday into Thursday, bringing another round of snow that will change to rain as temperatures warm. Most lower elevations are not expected to see any significant accumulation.
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