SYRACUSE -- With our near record-breaking five day lake effect snow event in the rear view mirror, we are now focusing in on a potential strong storm system heading into the northeast this Sunday.
Although we have talked about this next storm system on our seven-day extended outlook all week, we certainly didn’t want to lose sight of the ongoing lake effect storm. Now though, it’s time to start nailing down some details on this next storm.
This will be a tricky storm as we’ll be dealing with the primary storm approaching from the Midwest with southerly winds likely pushing some what milder air in here ahead of it during Sunday. Then, as the primary storm moves towards western New York Sunday, current indications are a secondary storm forms along the mid-Atlantic coast.
Now this is where it gets particularly tricky.
Right now it does not appear the secondary storm on the coast blows up and becomes a major nor’easter. If it did, that could be a whole other scenario for us. Instead, indications are we have a “merging of energy” from the primary and second storm forming one strong storm just to our north over southern Ontario. This storm should build into the upper levels of the atmosphere meaning it will be a slow mover, a few hundred miles to our north, into the middle of next week.
If you followed the weather closely this week, some of this might sound a little familiar as it is somewhat the same weather pattern that helped produce all that lake effect snow we just went through. The important aspects of this entire scenario are these…
First, on Sunday:
A wintry mix arrives early in the day and probably changes to periods of rain for the afternoon.
Next Sunday night into early next week, by the numbers:
- Large storm, slow mover, centered just to our north
- Storm close enough to throw added low level moisture back over us
- Storm moving slowly, so a 48-60 hour period of a northwest wind flow
- Much colder air with gusty west/northwest winds crossing Lake Ontario
- Lake snows hit directly east of Lake Ontario and the Tug Hill first Monday
- Lake snow focus shifts into Syracuse and Central New York Tuesday and Wednesday
- “Potential for significant accumulations in some of these areas”
- Daytime wind chills around 0 degrees
Yes, this is somewhat the same scenario we just went through, only it wouldn’t appear to be quite as intense or last quite as long. None-the-less, keep the heavy winter coat and gloves ready, and if you’re like me, I’ll be on the hunt for a new shovel this weekend!
Be sure to stay tuned to our family of CNY Central TV stations this weekend and of course right here at CNYcentral.com for updates. And of course you can always track the precipitation, rain or snow with both Triple Doppler Radar and Interactive Doppler Radar.
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