Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Usually, if you look out at Lake Erie this time of year, it's covered in jagged mountains of ice. And as frigid as the scene would be, that layer of ice is a base of protection from the dreaded lake effect snow that generally threatens the region earlier in the winter.
Lake Erie is largely clear of ice, and that means Mother Nature's lake effect weapon is just waiting for the right wind conditions to muster up another lake effect storm.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service are warning it's not over yet and there's the potential for plenty more lake effect snow for Western New Yorkers this winter season.
"We're gonna continue to have lake effect snow throughout the season. Lake effect snow is not out of the question," says Buffalo's National Weather Service meterologist Liz Jurkowski.
Tonight, snow is likely, but not until around 2 a.m. There will be an approximate accumulation 1 to 2 inches. Near steady temperatures ranging from the upper 20s inland to around 30 along the lake erie shore. West winds 5 to 10 mph, becoming lighter getting into early Friday morning.
"It's going to be a pretty active upcoming week," Jurkowski says, "We'll have another cold front coming through on Saturday night into Sunday. Lake effect continues throughout the rest of the weekend, into the start of the week all the way up through mid-week," Jurkowski says.
Temperatures also continue to drop, as January winds down and we turn the corner to February. National Weather Service forecasters say temps as low as 17 degrees are projected next Tuesday.
Those colder temperatures can be hard to take, but will help to increase the ice cover on the lakes.
Ice cover on Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes is not a foolproof stop to lake effect snow, as the right conditions can still scoop up moisture from the giant ice-covered bodies of water. Presently the ice cover on the Great Lakes is less than 10 percent, leaving the full potential of lake effect snow an active threat for areas downwind of the lakes.
