Buffalo, N.Y (WBEN) - Mother Nature and lake effect snow gave us as much of a scare as the Buffalo Bills Sunday afternoon, coating much of the region in a thin blanket of white and giving the Buffalo Airport its first official snow tally of the year.
Monday across metro Buffalo will only see some light snowfall that will have little impact across the region.
"Significant accumulations throughout the day today, not really expected," National Weather Service meteorologist Phillip Pandolfo tells WBEN.
The lake effect will begin to have more of an impact as the work week unfolds, however the metro Buffalo area should be spared any significant snows.
"It will get a little bit more interesting as we go into this evening and tonight, especially south of Buffalo," Pandolfo says.
The Setup
"We're expecting it to intensify as we get later into this evening, and especially late tonight into early tomorrow(Tuesday) morning," Pandolfo notes. The lake effect band will stretch from Lake Huron all the way across the southern tier, and as far northward as southern Erie County. "Really south of the southtowns," Pandolfo says. "They could pick up a few inches through tomorrow morning, though it will be mostly toward the Boston Hills for Erie County for more impactful accumulations."
Advisories
The National Weather Service has posted a Winter Weather Advisory for southern Erie and Cattaraugus counties through 1 p.m. Tuesday and a Lake Effect Snow Warning for Chautauqua County through 1 p.m. Tuesday as well.
Accumulation
While some scattered snow showers are in the forecast across the region, any significant accumulation will be well south of the Buffalo metro area.
Across the metro area, possibly an inch or two of lake effect snow may accumulate through early Tuesday, but to the south, a much more impactful accumulation forecast.
"Generally Hamburg, Orchard Park area, could pick up about 2 to 4, maybe up to 5 inches through tomorrow morning," Pandolfo predicts.
The Timeline
"We're actually expecting this lake effect to stick around through much of the week," Pandolfo cautions. But the good news could come in the form of some moderating temperatures come midweek.
The lake effect band will begin to shift northward Tuesday night, however temperatures will begin to moderate somewhat. "We're expecting a changeover to rain, for sure by Wednesday, but late Tuesday night , as it starts to climb northward, there's a little bit of question of how quickly that will change over to rain," Pandolfo says. Some accumulation from the northward migration of the band is expected before the changeover to rain.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST TUESDAY
* WHAT...Lake effect snow. Additional snow accumulations 4 to 8 inches in the most persistent lake snows.
* WHERE...Cattaraugus and Southern Erie Counties.
* WHEN...Until 1 PM EST Tuesday.
* IMPACTS...Travel will be difficult. The hazardous conditions will impact the Monday and Tuesday morning commutes.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Lake effect snow will fall in relatively narrow bands. If traveling, be prepared for rapidly changing road conditions and visibilities.
LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST TUESDAY
* WHAT...Heavy lake effect snow. Additional snow accumulations 8 to 11 inches in the most persistent lake snows across the Chautauqua Ridge, with 4 to 8 inches expected in other areas.
* WHERE...Chautauqua County.
* WHEN...Until 1 PM EST Tuesday.
* IMPACTS...Travel will be difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the Monday and Tuesday morning commutes.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The heaviest snowfall is expected to occur late Monday night into early Tuesday morning.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Heavy snow will fall in relatively narrow bands. If traveling, be prepared for rapidly changing road conditions and visibilities.