The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for parts of Central New York as a combination of widespread snow and arctic cold moves into the area.
The advisory is from 1 p.m. Friday through 7 a.m. Sunday for Northern Cayuga, Oswego, Monroe, Wayne, Livingston and Ontario counties.
A clipper system will bring widespread light snow to the region on Friday, with scattered snow showers possible during the day before becoming more widespread overnight. The system will exit the region Saturday, but lake effect snow is expected to develop behind it with additional accumulations through Saturday night.
Some areas to the north and west of Syracuse can expect total snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches. Areas along the Lake Ontario shoreline may see 4 to 7 inches. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph will create areas of blowing and drifting snow.
Closer to Syracuse, about 2-4 inches of snow is expected.
The weather service warns that travel will be difficult and hazardous conditions may impact the Friday evening commute. Drivers should slow down and use caution as periods of snow will result in snow-covered roads and limited visibility.
An arctic front will move through the region late Friday night into Saturday morning, bringing bitterly cold conditions for the weekend. Daytime temperatures on Sunday will generally be in the single digits, possibly low teens for some areas. Overnight temperatures will fall below zero.
Strong winds are expected along and following the front as high pressure builds in. Sustained winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts peaking around 40 mph are forecast.
The combination of cold temperatures and blustery winds will push wind chills below zero for much of the weekend. Wind chills are expected to drop to minus-15 to minus-25 degrees, though a few locations could see values down to minus-30.
An extreme cold watch has been issued for the entire region from late Friday night through early Sunday afternoon. The weather service noted that upgrades to advisories or warnings will occur in future updates as confidence increases on how cold conditions will get.
Temperatures are expected to begin trending warmer next week, with potential for closer to normal conditions.
