First Alert Weather: Yellow Alert issued for incoming widespread snow

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Our Threat Tracker remains Yellow Friday afternoon as we are expecting the ongoing light and widespread snow to become enhanced by Lake Ontario due to a shift in the wind.

Currently most areas are only seeing trace accumulations, but starting before the evening commute the winds will shift from the southwest to the north, pushing an already ongoing snow band over the lakeshore. Roads will be slick and snowy, so be alert and cautious if you’ll be on the road for any reason this afternoon, evening, or night. North-south oriented snow bands will then start to develop tonight and will last through tomorrow morning before finally calming down later on Saturday.

By Saturday night, most areas will be seeing three to six inches of snow on the ground, with some pockets receiving more or less. Some areas in the higher elevations will only be seeing one to three inches as the snow bands struggle to reach farther south.

Due to an incoming high pressure system and Arctic airmass, the somewhat reserved lake effect snow will be accompanied by very cold temperatures and high winds, meaning Saturday will be VERY chilly with temperatures in the low 20s and wind chill values possibly not even cracking TEN degrees.

Sunday won’t be as windy and snowy, but the static temperature will actually be lower than Saturday, with highs in the upper teens. So if you’re going to the Bills game on Sunday, you’re going to want to bundle up for sure.

Looking into early next week, snow is possible on Christmas Eve and temperatures will allow and snow that falls to stick around, making for good chances of a white Christmas this year.