First Alert Forecast: Pretty scenes for mid-winter weather

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Plenty of bright sunshine and snow cover made for beautiful scenery around Western New York today. Some would call today a Currier and Ives picture postcard. It was very cold with the temperature only reaching the mid-teens, but pleasant for the winter weather enthusiast.

A ridge of high pressure will continue to build in across the northeast for the remainder of the weekend. That means it will be clear at times for tonight and will turn bitterly cold. The combination of the deep snowpack, dry air and light winds will produce a temperature that will fall below zero for most communities that are away from Lake Ontario and away from the city. Sunday will feature more sunshine with another frigid start to the day. However, by the afternoon it will not be as cold as it moderates into the low to mid-30s.

Monday will bring more tranquil weather for Rochester. Look for a mix of clouds and sunshine with the temperature once again rising into the upper 30s. Through the remainder of the week, there will be a series of small low-pressure systems, also known as “Alberta Clippers”, that will track to the north of New York State. Typically these storms have a minimal impact on Rochester and this will once again be the case for us. The News 10 NBC First Alert meteorologists expect just a passing flurry or a snow shower for Tuesday through Friday. In fact, it may be warm enough that we could mix in some rain showers for late Wednesday and Wednesday night. The temperature will generally be in the 30s during the day and into the 20s and teens during the overnight hours.

Our weather forecast is a little more unsettled by the start of the weekend. We see some big differences in the computer models which means that our forecast confidence level is not high. It may take several days for the models to come more in-line before we have an accurate prediction for Friday and Saturday.

Stay tuned to News10NBC for the latest update on the weather forecast.