First Alert Weather: Moderate-sized storm will impact the weekend

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Calm weather will prevail over Western New York for the next few days, but that will likely change for the weekend.

The News10NBC First Alert meteorologists have been tracking a storm that will be developing in Texas on Thursday night. This storm will rapidly develop and strengthen as it moves toward West Virginia and eventually rolls up the East Coast on Friday and Saturday. The main impact for us will be on travel with snow arriving in Western New York.

Tonight will bring patchy clouds followed by increasing clouds after midnight. It should be dry overnight with the low temperature in the upper 20s. Thursday will feature mainly cloudy skies and just the small chance of a passing snow flurry. The high will be near 40 degrees with light winds. Friday will again be cloudy, but by afternoon there is the chance of rain or wet snow shower. The temperature will rise into the middle 40s.

However, by Friday night rain showers will become more frequent, before the rain changes over to snow after midnight. It will be turning colder with lows in the upper 20s. The snowfall accumulation by Saturday morning will be in the range of 1 to 3 inches. A steady, area-wide snowfall is expected for Saturday with another 3 to 5 inches possible. A preliminary forecast for snowfall will bring totals in the range of 4 to 8 inches. Portions of the Finger Lakes, since they are closer to the path of the storm, could see substantially higher snow totals.

However, any deviation in the track or the intensity of the storm will change the eventual snow totals. As a result, this forecast will be adjusted in the coming days. In addition, winds will increase quite a bit by late Saturday and Saturday night with gusts possibly exceeding 35 mph. This would cause extensive blowing and drifting snow. The high temperature will be falling from the low 30s into the 20s. For all of these reasons, the News10NBC First Alert meteorologists have issued a Yellow Alert for Saturday.

Look for more lake snow showers Saturday night with possibly some additional accumulation. The low temperature will fall in the upper teens. Sunday will bring more afternoon flurries with the high temperature in the lower 30s.

Stay tuned for updates on the News10NBC weather forecast.

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