First Alert Forecast: Heavy Lake Erie squalls will move south again for this evening

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Heavy squalls coming in off Lake Erie has buried many towns just south of Buffalo.  An example of this, is Orchard Park where they measured 77 inches since early Friday.  At times, snowfall was coming down at the rate of 3 inches per hour.  This amount of snowfall is equivalent to what Rochester may receive for three quarters of our entire winter season.  However, most of the day the heavy snow squall had drifted to the north of Buffalo giving time to dig-out for many communities.  But that lake squall is starting to move south again, and later this evening, it is likely to deposit a fresh foot of snow to the Buffalo area.  Fortunately, most of the Rochester area has been spared the heaviest snow and any additional snowfall should be minimal.

Tonight look for another quick burst of Lake Erie snow by late evening, but any new accumulations should be limited to a dusting to 2 inches in the Rochester area.  Some of the western suburbs could be closer to 2 to 4 inches – especially in Genesee County.  If you are traveling around midnight the visibility will be briefly reduced.  Sunday will bring a few breaks of sun for the morning and then Lake Ontario snow showers will be developing for the afternoon.  Communities along Route 104 may see 1 to 2 inches of accumulation by the end of the day.  Amounts could be higher on the eastern end of Wayne County.  Everybody will feel the cold with the temperature remaining in the 20s and with a gusty wind the wind chill will be in the teens.  Monday any lingering lake flurries will end with partial sunshine.  It will not be as chilly with the high temperature near 40 degrees.

The remainder of the week appears to be calm with more sunshine and a moderating temperature.  This is good news for holiday travelers as Tuesday, Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day will bring some sunshine and the temperature rising though the 40s.

Stay tuned to News 10NBC First Alert weather for updates on the forecast.