First Alert Weather: Lake snow & cold tonight & Tuesday

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Winter is in full blast for western New York, with localized lake effect snow for some, and bitterly cold air for all over the next 24 hours.

A band of heavy lake effect snow dropping south through the first part of tonight will drop a quick coating to an inch or two of snow, followed by lighter, but more persistent lake effect after midnight and into the first part of the day Tuesday. In all, our Lake Ontario counties could see a 2-5" accumulation, with slightly higher amounts into eastern Wayne County, where the snow will tend to be slightly more impressive and last a little longer.

South of the Thruway, expect a coating to an inch or two. While some will be shoveling in the morning, everybody will be feeling the bitter cold air. Most spots away from Lake Ontario will drop into the lower single digits, even a few spots below zero. Add in a bit of wind, and wind chill values will drop closer to -10 to -15 early Tuesday morning, rebounding a little bit thanks to a dying wind. Still, the biggest weather story Tuesday will be the cold air.

Wednesday will be a quieter day with a mostly cloudy sky and temperatures back toward freezing. Most of Thursday is fairly quiet, but another cold front dropping south late will bring an increasing chance for some snow showers followed by dropping temperatures later on Thursday. This will set the stage for another cold day Friday with a few lake snow showers, and a VERY cold playoff game for the Bills in Orchard Park on Saturday night! In all, our pattern continues to see these blasts of colder air with a little lake snow, followed by a brief respite, and then another shot of cold air.

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