A Lake Effect Snow Warning has been issued for Southern Erie, Wyoming, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties. Steve Welch of the National Weather Service says some locales could see more than a foot of snowfall by Friday night.
Here is the weather statement released by the National Weather Service at 12:46 p.m.:
...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 PM EST FRIDAY...
THIS AFTERNOON...SNOW AND RAIN SHOWERS LIKELY EARLY...THEN SNOW LATE. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION AN INCH OR LESS. HIGHS IN THE MID 30S. WEST WINDS 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 80 PERCENT.
TONIGHT...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WITH SOME RUMBLES OF THUNDER POSSIBLE. AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW. SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION 3 TO 5 INCHES IN THE MOST PERSISTENT SNOWS. LOWS RANGING FROM THE MID 20S INLAND TO AROUND 30 ALONG THE LAKE ERIE SHORE. WEST WINDS 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW NEAR 100 PERCENT.
FRIDAY...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WITH SOME RUMBLES OF THUNDER POSSIBLE. AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW. SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION 3 TO 5 INCHES IN THE MOST PERSISTENT SNOWS. HIGHS RANGING FROM THE UPPER 20S INLAND TO THE LOWER 30S ALONG THE LAKE ERIE SHORE. WEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW NEAR 100 PERCENT.
FRIDAY NIGHT...CLOUDY. AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW IN THE EVENING. SNOW IN THE EVENING...THEN SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY OVERNIGHT. NEAR STEADY TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM THE LOWER 20S INLAND TO THE UPPER 20S ALONG THE LAKE ERIE SHORE. WEST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH IN THE EVENING. CHANCE OF SNOW 90 PERCENT.
SATURDAY...CLOUDY. SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON. WINDY WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE MID 30S INLAND TO THE UPPER 30S ALONG THE LAKE ERIE SHORE. SOUTH WINDS 15 TO 30 MPH...BECOMING SOUTHWEST WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW 60 PERCENT.
SATURDAY NIGHT...SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S. CHANCE OF SNOW 60 PERCENT.
NEW YEARS DAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S. SUNDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S.
