First Alert Weather: Strong winds and a rapid change in the temperature

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — A deepening low-pressure system has now reached the upper Great Lakes and will begin to turn to northeast heading towards Hudson Bay. The track of this storm will come within about 350 miles of Rochester during the next 24 hours. That will be close enough to Western New York to have a dramatic impact on the temperature and the winds. However, the greatest impact will be the strong winds. We believe the top wind speeds will not be excessive, but the duration of the high wind may cause some problems over time. Wind speeds may exceed 40 mph, and higher, for 10 to 12 hours.

Tonight will be mainly dry for the evening with the temperature holding steady in the mid-30s. The mercury will then begin to rise into the 40s later tonight. It will turn breezy overnight, especially in the Bristol Hills with gusts near 35 mph. It will be warm enough that rain showers (not snow) will develop west of Rochester around midnight. Those showers will overspread all of Western New York by morning. Monday and Monday night the News10NBC First Alert meteorologists have issued a yellow alert for our area. Wind speeds should not be a significant issue for the morning, but will slowly ratchet up around midday. There is a wind advisory for all of Western New York. We expect as rain showers end for the morning, winds will increase out of the west at 20 to 40 mph with gusts near 50 to 55 mph. As stated earlier, the greatest concern is not the actual top speeds, but the duration of the strong winds which could last 10 to 12 hours which would take us well into Monday night. At this point, we see the potential for isolated tree and power line damage but not a widespread damage event. Monday the temperature will start in the low 50s and then fall into the 40s and 30s Monday night.

If you are heading out to Highmark Stadium in Buffalo for the Bills game, the wind and the cold will be a factor. By the start of the game, winds will be gusting to near 50 mph and the temperature will be falling into the mid-30s. A passing snow shower will be a possibility, but no real accumulation is expected. It should be noted that if you are planning on tailgating with high profile vehicle, such as a mobile home, the high winds could have an impact on travel. The strong winds should slowly diminish by later in the game.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will bring colder than normal temperatures with readings in the 20s and 30s. We may see some flurries and snow showers with a small accumulation possible on Wednesday. Heading into the weekend conditions should begin to moderate with milder weather returning. The temperature will rebound back into the low 40s on Friday and to near 50 degrees by Saturday.

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