14-02-2025
Winter storm to hit upstate NY this weekend. Here's what to expect
Hunker down. A wintry weekend is straight ahead in western New York - with some predicted snow, freezing rain and rain on the horizon, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
While forecasters were not yet able to pinpoint just how much snow New Yorkers will see, Weather Service Meteorologist Tony Ansuini said to expect "plowable amounts" - at least several inches of snow - this weekend as "quite a messy storm system approaches."
Ansuini said to expect widespread snow starting Saturday morning through at least Saturday evening. Warmer air will cause the snow to transition into a wintry mix with freezing rain and regular rain on Sunday before it again becomes colder and transitions back to snow later on Sunday.
The timing of the snow and shades of rain/freezing rain in the Rochester region is not yet clear, Ansuini said, as the storm is approaching New York and the system could shift. As of Friday morning, the storm is tracking to bring more snow to the north (including the Watertown area) and more rain and freezing rain in the Southern Tier.
The Weather Service issued a winter storm watch from Saturday afternoon to Sunday evening for Oswego, Jefferson and Lewis counties. Up to a foot of heavy lake effect snow and up to a quarter-inch of ice is expected in Oswego County. More than 6 inches of snow and up to a quarter inch of ice is predicted for Jefferson and Lewis counties.
Wind gusts are expected to reach 35 mph, which could create hazardous driving conditions, forecasters said.
Additional alerts are expected later today, Ansuini said.
A winter weather advisory is set to run for 24 hours, starting at 9 a.m. Saturday in Onondaga County, where 4 to 9 inches of snow is predicted to fall in communities north of the Thruway in that timeframe, and 3 to 6 inches of snow is predicted to fall elsewhere.
A winter weather advisory was also issued for Yates, Seneca, northern Cayuga, Steuben, Schuyler, Chemung and Tompkins counties during the same timeframe. There, 2 to 5 inches of snow and up to two-tenths of an inch of ice is predicted.
The advisories for Madison, Chenango, Otsego, Delaware and Sullivan counties runs from 11 a.m. Saturday to 1 p.m. Sunday. In Madison County, 5 to 10 inches of snow is predicted in that timeframe and 3 to 5 inches of snow is predicted in the other counties. Up to three-tenths of an inch of ice is also predicted in all five counties.
Currently, a lake effect snow warning is underway in Oswego and northern Cayuga counties through 1 a.m. Saturday.
Herkimer County, where up to 4 inches of lake effect snow is predicted to fall Friday, remains under a lake effect snow warning until 7 p.m. Friday.
The map below shows the probability that an area could receive more than 4 inches of snow in the U.S. See New York projections. Use the slider at the top left to toggle by day.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Winter storm to hit upstate NY this weekend. Here's what to expect
