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Out-of-season Winter Storm Watch in effect for today and tomorrow in WNY

By Howard B. Owens

We received this advisory this morning:

... WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON...

A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

OCCASIONAL RAIN TODAY WILL GRADUALLY MIX WITH... AND CHANGE TO WET SNOW LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE CHANGE TO WET SNOW WILL INITIALLY TAKE PLACE ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS SOUTH OF BUFFALO LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... THEN THE CHANGE OVER WILL BE EXPERIENCED ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS AND FOR SITES ACROSS THE GENESEE VALLEY AS THE EVENING PROGRESSES.

 

SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TONIGHT WILL RANGE FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS TO AS MUCH AS 6 INCHES ACROSS THE HILLTOPS SOUTH OF BUFFALO AND BATAVIA. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS WILL TAKE PLACE DURING THE DAY TUESDAY... ESPECIALLY OVER THE ELEVATED TERRAIN SOUTH OF BUFFALO WHERE LAKE EFFECT ENHANCEMENT IS EXPECTED.

THIS OUT OF SEASON SNOWFALL WILL LIKELY IMPACT TRAVEL ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT AND TUESDAY... SO MUNICIPALITIES SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR LATE WINTER CONDITIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THAT HEAVY SNOW AND/OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE. IF YOU ARE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA... REMAIN ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

 

More Information

... SIGNIFICANT OUT OF SEASON SNOWS EXPECTED TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY...

.DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE NEAR ERIE PENNSYLVANIA AT DAYBREAK WILL SLOWLY DRIFT ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK TODAY... THEN WILL MAKE ITS WAY ACROSS THE ADIRONDACKS TO SOUTHERN QUEBEC TONIGHT. COLDER AIR WRAPPING IN BEHIND THE STRENGTHENING STORM SYSTEM WILL CHANGE OUR RAIN TO WET SNOW FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE COURSE OF TONIGHT. THIS WILL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE REGION WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TONIGHT FORECAST TO BE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN SOUTH OF BUFFALO AND BATAVIA.

THE WET SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS ALL OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEW YORK ON TUESDAY... ALTHOUGH SOME LIGHT RAIN MAY MIX BACK IN ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR ALL AREAS AS A RESULT... WITH THE HIGHEST SNOWFALL AMOUNTS STILL BEING FOUND OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN.

THE WIDESPREAD GENERAL SNOWFALL ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEW YORK WILL TAPER OFF TUESDAY NIGHT... EXCEPT ACROSS THE WESTERN SOUTHERN TIER AND TUG HILL PLATEAU WHERE MORE FOCUSED AREAS OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL LIKELY GENERATE EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE SNOWFALL AMOUNTS.

THE UPCOMING HEAVY WET SNOW WILL LIKELY IMPACT TRAVEL ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY... AND THERE COULD EVEN BE SOME SPOTTY POWER OUTAGES ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN DUE TO THE HEAVY WET NATURE OF THE SNOW. UNLIKE THE OCTOBER 2006 EVENT WHERE FOLIATED TREES CONTRIBUTED TO THE HIGH IMPACT... THE REGION IS FORTUNATE THAT OUR GROWING SEASON HAS YET TO BEGIN.

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