Christmas Eve will be mostly wet for much of the region through Thursday, but will turn into a white Christmas for areas of Western New York by early Friday morning. The immediate Rochester metro is not expected to see much snow.
News 8 meteorologist Josh Nichols says Thursday night will see the rain heavy at times, before mixing with sleet and freezing rain briefly around midnight, and then that mix changes to all snow by Christmas morning with rapidly falling temperatures. Nichols says that a coating to an inch of snow is possible across the region by sunrise with up to three inches in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties.
Friday will see blustery weather with lake effect snow, especially to the west of Rochester into Genesee and Wyoming counties. Several inches of snow are possible there, with temperatures remaining in the upper 20s.
Saturday will still be cold with some lake effect snow mainly southwest of Rochester, and Sunday will see flurries also, and high then in the 30s.
There is a Winter Weather Advisory for several counties including Monroe, Livingston, Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties from Friday night into Saturday midday.
There is a Lake Effect Snow Warning for counties including Genesee and Wyoming from midday on Friday until Saturday night.
If you’re traveling further west, there is a Winter Storm Warning in the Buffalo area from Thursday evening until Saturday evening, with more than a foot of snow possible in some areas.
There is also a flood watch for parts of Livingston and Allegany counties through Friday afternoon.
