December is fast approaching and it’s finally starting to feel like winter in New York.
After a wet and dreary Thanksgiving, bitter cold swept across much of the tri-state area overnight and into Friday, bringing some of the coldest temperatures the region has faced so far this year.
While highs in New York are expected to peak in the mid-40s on Friday, clouds are expected to move in throughout the day and block the sunshine enjoyed by city dwellers during the early morning hours, according to the forecast. AccuWeather weekend. The winds blowing through New York, some reaching 30 mph, will also make it much colder, like in the 1930s, meteorologists have warned.
The raw cold is expected to persist through the weekend, with temperatures hovering in the 30s for much of Saturday and Sunday. However, conditions will remain dry and cool, with no significant precipitation expected.
Further north in the state, Mother Nature treated residents to a side of snow with their turkey Thursday, with blizzard-like conditions expected throughout the weekend.
More than 2 million people in Western New York – including Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Southern Erie, Oswego, Jefferson, Lewis and Allegany counties – were under a lake effect storm warning Friday morning. The advisory, issued by the National Weather Service in Buffalo, went into effect around 7 a.m. and was not set to expire until Monday morning.
“Lake-effect snow develops when cold air moves over a large body of relatively warm water, typically found in the Great Lakes,” explained AccuWeather snow expert Grady Gilman.
The heaviest snow accumulation is expected in Oswego, Jefferson and Lewis counties, where communities could be buried under 3 to 4 feet of snow.
Wyoming, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, as well as southern parts of Erie County, are also likely to be hit with winter weather. With snowfall at 1 to 2 inches per hour, residents could face between 2 and 3 feet of snow by the end of the weekend. Northern parts of Allegheny County will also see some of the white stuff, but only about 14 inches.
The weather is also expected to cause poor visibility and difficult travel, prompting warnings from the National Weather Service.
“Travel could be very difficult, if not impossible,” the agency warned, adding that the heaviest snowfall was expected Saturday afternoon through Sunday.
As a result, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a ban on tandem trucks and empty utility vehicles starting Friday at 3 p.m. It covers the New York State Thruway from Exit 53 in downtown Buffalo to the Pennsylvania state line, State Route 219 from the Pennsylvania state line. to I-90 and 1-86 from the Pennsylvania state line to I-390.
