Related Post
Syracuse, N.Y. — Much of Upstate New York is likely to see a few inches of snow tonight and early on Christmas morning.
“This should all but guarantee a white Christmas for most areas,” the National Weather Service said.
The weather service has issued winter weather advisories for Central New York and the North Country from 6 p.m. today to 1 p.m. Tuesday.
“Plan on slippery road conditions,“ the weather service said. ”The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday morning commute.”
Snow tonight could be heavy at times, dropping at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour. Fortunately, the most intense snow is expected between midnight and 7 a.m., when fewer cars are on the road.
“That midnight to 7 a.m. period could be a little dicey,” said weather service meteorologist Mark Pellerito.
By 7 a.m., the snow will start winding down except for some light lake effect showers downwind of Lake Ontario and into Central New York.
The bulk of the snow will come via a clipper, a fast-moving low pressure system that descends from the Canadian plains through the Great Lakes. Clippers bring winds, cold air and snow, but the snow is generally limited because of the system’s speed.
After the snow, Upstate should be a lock for a white Christmas, defined as at least an inch of snow on the ground at 7 a.m. Christmas Day.
Albany has 3 inches on the ground already, and Syracuse and Buffalo each have 4 inches, according to weather service tallies.
Virtually none of that snow will melt today and Tuesday, with cloudy skies and temperatures below or slightly above freezing.
“If you have snow on the ground right now, you’re probably not going to lose it and you’ll have it on Christmas,” Pellerito said.
The counties shaded in purple are under winter weather advisories from 7 tonight until1 p.m. Tuesday. Several inches of snow could fall, with most of it coming in the early morning.National Weather Service
