Syracuse, NY – The picture is becoming clearer as a forecast lake effect snow storm hits Upstate New York just in time for Thanksgiving travel.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for 15 upstate counties from Wednesday night through Saturday.
A foot or more of snow could fall Thursday and Friday near the eastern shores of Lake Erie, mostly southwest of Buffalo and on the Tug Hill Plateau. Less snow is expected in Central New York and the Southern Tier, with most of it falling on Friday.
Wind gusts up to 40 mph could be expected Thursday and Friday, blowing powdery snow and sharply reducing visibility on roads. Temperatures will drop into the 20s, with wind chills in the teens.
Rain may start out Wednesday, but cooler air moving in later in the day will turn the rain to snow, especially at higher elevations. Winds from the southwest will dump heavy lake effect snow on Tug Hill in Western New York Wednesday night and early Thursday.
Winds are expected to shift to the west late Thursday night, pushing the snow toward Central New York, the Mohawk Valley and the Finger Lakes. Syracuse could see 3 to 8 inches of snowfall late Thursday through Saturday.
“This set up with fluctuating wind direction off the lakes is expected to be a long-duration event that will last through Saturday,” the weather service said.
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