We have a few more hours of quiet before activity moves in on Monday. For now, high pressure will dominate through the overnight, allowing skies to clear and temperatures to fall into the mid teens. Expect a frosty and chilly Monday morning start with some sunshine.
That sunshine will be very short-lived. Clouds and winds increase through the day as low pressure works over from the Great Lakes. By mid afternoon, a wintry mix arrives first in the southwestern Finger Lakes before moving through the Syracuse area during the evening commute.
While the timing of the snow is rather certain, the amount of accumulation isn’t quite as set in stone. A lot is going to depend on the temperatures. If we stay cold for long enough, Syracuse could see up to 5” by Monday night. However, some models are suggesting that warmer air aloft may nose in quickly, allowing for rain to mix in and only an inch or two of wet snow accumulation. Regardless of the amount you may see on your lawn, the takeaway is that the messiest activity will be as many are heading home from school and work.
Overnight into Tuesday, a wintry mix becomes much more likely. We’re looking at the threat for ice pellets and possibly freezing rain into Tuesday morning as the air aloft may be above freezing with temperatures at the ground below. This will make for a slick Tuesday morning commute as possibly up to .25” may coat the roads. Colder air will then move in, changing precip back over to snow. Another couple of inches is possible Tuesday afternoon.
Unfortunately, once the system passes we should remain cold for the rest of the week. Despite Wednesday marking the first day of spring, it will feel a lot more like the heart of winter with highs only in the low 30s and chances for lake effect snow. As of right now, there is no sign of a springtime warm-up in the 7-day outlook, but we’ll keep you updated on any changes.
