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Rain moving into Central New York on Wednesday will transition to accumulating snow Wednesday night, prompting the National Weather Service to issue winter weather advisories for most of the region through Thursday afternoon or Friday morning.
Forecasters are expecting 4 to 7 inches of snow in parts of Central New York.
The weather system will bring scattered showers before midday Wednesday, becoming more widespread rain during the afternoon as temperatures reach the 40s. The critical transition occurs Wednesday evening after 7 p.m. when a cold front moves through the region, changing rain to snow as temperatures drop below freezing. Wet surfaces may become icy during this transition period.
Snow will continue through Thursday morning into early Thursday afternoon, with the potential for localized heavy snow bands, though their exact location remains uncertain. The winter weather advisory for the Syracuse area and most of central New York extends until 7 a.m. Friday due to lake effect snow expected to develop Thursday under westerly to northwesterly winds. The eastern Finger Lakes and Mohawk Valley regions will see additional snowfall through Thursday night before a ridge of high pressure ends the lake effect Friday morning.
Temperatures will fall into the 20s on Thursday, then drop to single digits and teens Thursday night. Friday will see highs only in the 20s as the cold pattern takes hold.
The storm will affect other parts of Upstate New York, with Buffalo, Rochester and Watertown all expected to get 4 or more inches of snow.
The cold and snowy pattern continues through the weekend and into early next week. A weak clipper system will bring scattered light snow showers Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures dropping from the 30s Saturday to the 20s Sunday. Another surge of even colder air is expected early next week with blustery conditions and gusty winds, though any snow will be mainly limited to lake effect in central New York.
