First Alert Weather Update: Wild end to March and beginning of April

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Spring in Western New York can be a very changeable season, and that is exactly what we will be seeing over the next five days (maybe more). Starting with Wednesday: We’ll see a fair amount of sun, mild air and quiet weather for the majority of Wednesday, but it will change rapidly by late afternoon. A powerful cold front will produce a squall – rain changing over to snow. The main impact for the evening commute will be reduced visibility as the squall moves in, with whatever falls as snow. Surface temperatures in the 50s with strong March sun most of the day, which will allow even briefly heavy snow to melt quickly on the pavement. Winds will be another factor with this squall. We expect winds to briefly push 40-50 mph as the squall moves through, then drop back in the 30-40 mph range. This shouldn’t be enough to cause power issues, but you’ll certainly notice the wind. The third aspect of this squall will be the tumbling temperatures. We’ll fall from the lower 50s into the lower 30s within an hour or two. A few slick spots are possible as the sun sets.

Thursday will be a much calmer, and noticeably cooler day with some sun and highs in the 30s. Friday will turn wet and milder with off and on rain showers, and temperatures eventually land in the lower 50s. A Yellow Alert is now up for Saturday, for the potential for another round of strong winds. Details and exact timing is still to be determined, but confidence is growing in strong winds developing during the afternoon and evening. Some gusts may be strong enough to produce a handful of power outages. In addition to the strong winds, we may see a few thunderstorms before that, which could also produce some stronger gusts. We are still 4-5 days away, but this is a “heads up” to keep a closer eye on the weekend forecast, as weather will likely have an impact on your Saturday.