First Alert Weather Update: Red Alert continues to localized whiteouts, frigid temperatures and strong winds

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Our winter storm has lived up to the forecast, with frequent wind gusts 60-70 mph leaving tens of thousands of people without power, temperatures tumbling into the single digits, wind chills well below zero and and organizing band of lake effect snow. Issues will continue tonight, with wind gusts 50-60 mph, slowly dropping into early Saturday morning. Some power outages will likely continue into early Saturday. Winds will tend to be strongest between Buffalo and Rochester, including Monroe County. In addition to the wind, a band of lake effect snow will produce heavy snow from Buffalo to Genesee and Orleans county, and even into northwest Monroe County. Blizzard and whiteout conditions will be frequent there into the day Saturday. It’ll be nearly impossible to get an accurate measurement of snow, but if we could, these areas would see 6-12″ of snow, with heavier snow near Buffalo. Blizzard Warnings continue for Orleans and Genesee Counties, and a Winter Storm Warning for Monroe. Winter Weather Advisories are up for the rest of the area to account for the dangerous wind chills, gusty wind and blowing snow. 

Localized lake snow will continue west on Saturday, but much of the area will actually be snow-free. In fact, we could see near blizzard conditions in Hilton, with sunshine in Fairport. Everybody will deal with the chill, as wind chills will hold in the -15 to -25 range on Saturday with a gusty wind. That lake effect band drops south and weakens Saturday night, with improving conditions on Christmas Day. You shouldn’t deal with many travel issues across the Rochester area on Christmas Day. Stay with News10NBC on air and online for updates throughout this Red Alert.