First Alert Weather Update: A new year, but we’re still looking for winter…

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – We’ll see plenty of precipitation to start the new year, but this will all be falling in the form of rain, not snow. Several waves of low pressure moving into the Great Lakes and northeast will bring a soaking rain to the area on Tuesday, and another round of off and on rain on Wednesday. The rain develops through Tuesday morning, and the steadiest rain tapers by evening. Most will see about 0.50″ – 0.75″ of rain on Tuesday, and another quarter to half inch of rain on Wednesday. Temperatures both days will top out in the upper 40s near Rochester, cooler north and a little milder south. Thursday dries out nicely. It’ll turn a bit cooler by Friday and into the weekend. In fact, cold enough for a few flurries and snow showers, but at this point, we expect little to no accumulation.

In general, we’ll have a handful of days that feel like typical January in western New York, but our overall pattern over the next few weeks is expected to be warmer than average, which isn’t what you’re looking for if you’re hoping to see a return to a white and snowy landscape.