The lake effect begins Friday; Who will be hit first?

The lake effect begins Friday; Who will be hit first?

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The Thanksgiving rain and snow maker is moving out and the leftovers on the menu for the rest of the holiday weekend are lake effect and cold weather. Details below…

Rain and snow showers will persist overnight

There will be rain and snow across New York State this Thanksgiving afternoon as low pressure moves into southern New England.

Rain and snow showers will shift north of Syracuse overnight.

Additional accumulations through tonight will be 2 to 4 inches for most, but could see 2 to 4 inches over portions of Tug Hill.

How significant could the lake snow be?

Pretty significant… There’s definitely plenty of locally heavy snowfall this weekend.

First of all, Lake Ontario remains very warm. At the end of November the lake is warmer than at any time in the last 30 years.

Add to that the coldest air of the season so far, and we will have updrafts capable of producing several feet of snow as well as thunder and lightning! The heaviest amounts of snow will fall in and around Tug Hill.

Where does the lake effect hit first???

As noted above, a few small lake effect rain and snow showers will fall Thursday evening. Any accumulation near Tug Hill is minor.

Then there will be heavy lake snow far north of Syracuse on Friday. Friday’s snow jackpot, if you will, is over southern Jefferson and northwest Lewis counties, where 6 to 10 inches of snow could fall.

Expect a near-steady west to west-southwesterly wind in the lower atmosphere Friday night into Sunday, and you have a situation that could produce a three- to four-foot lake effect over the heart of the Tug Hill Plateau.

What about Syracuse???

There will be minimal lake effect around Syracuse Friday through Sunday, aside from occasional snow showers.

However, things could change on Sunday evening or Monday.

During this period, a low pressure trough will form over central New York. This causes the winds to change from west to northwest. The air remains cold aloft, so there is no reason to believe areas near Syracuse won’t see at least some snow accumulation.

Be sure to check back with the NewsChannel 9 Storm team during the busy holiday season for updates and more details in the coming days.

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