First Alert Weather: Warmer air, a little wind, and a little snow in our future

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — We’ve seen a few days with beautiful sunshine and dry weather, but that will be replaced by more clouds and a few showers on Wednesday.

A warm front lifting through will bump our temperatures back into the 40s for much of Wednesday, before eventually rising into the low 50s late Wednesday evening (just before midnight). Some showers will also move in with this front, primarily during the afternoon and evening hours. The breeze picks up on Wednesday night, and temperatures actually continue their ascent into the 50s by Thursday morning.

We’re expecting record warmth on Thursday, with highs in the lower half of the 60s. Our forecast high is 63, and the old record stands at 62 from 1894! Winds will pick up and become gusty during the evening hours, with a few gusts in the 40-45 mph range out of the southwest, mainly Rochester and into Orleans and Genesee Counties. Friday looks like another great day with more sunshine and more seasonable temperatures.

The weekend: We’ve been lacking snowfall so far this winter season, with just over 5" of snow so far, and a snowfall deficit of about a foot to date. But, we see a bit of a pattern change ahead, with temperatures dropping back into the 30s for highs by the weekend and into Christmas week. This will at least be more supportive of some of the white stuff. In fact, we may see some accumulating snow on Saturday, depending on the track of a wave of low pressure. This is forecast to pass just to our south, and if it stays close enough, it may bring a few inches of snow to the area on Saturday and Saturday night.

At this point, one of the main questions is whether we see a wintry mix of some sleet or even light freezing rain across parts of the forecast area, in addition to the snow. This will be something worth watching, as even a little ice can make things rather slick. There are no big snowstorms in the forecast leading up to Christmas, but there are a few chances of a little more white. Stay tuned!

—————————————

Download the WHEC First Alert Weather app to stay up to date while on the go.

Watch the latest full forecast at whec.com/weather.