Temperatures will crash through weekend; gusty winds will make for coldest stretch all winter

**Cold temperatures and wind will dominate weather over next several days.**

It’s going to be cold.

In fact, it could shape up to be the coldest stretch of weather we’ve seen in the Finger Lakes all winter. Some may see a little lake effect snow, but it won’t be enough in one shot to cause any significant concerns, according to forecasters.

That said, the Arctic blast will definitely be enough for concern. Those planning to be outside for any length of time this weekend, should dress accordingly to avoid any issues related to the single-digit temperatures. Winds will also pick up through the day Friday and into the weekend, as wind chills are driven down to zero or below.

Here’s FLX Weather Meteorologist Drew Montreuil has to say about this weekend’s weather pattern:

“Low pressure is moving through the Mid-Atlantic region this morning and is about to move out over the open waters of the Atlantic. As expected, precipitation overnight primarily stayed south of the Finger Lakes.

This low should strengthen as it gets out over the open water as it lifts northeast towards far eastern Canada.

Meanwhile, an impressively strong area of high pressure over Central Canada will expand southeast into the United States. An extremely cold air mass to the east of this high will be pushed southward on north winds between these two weather systems.

Unfortunately for the Finger Lakes, the core of this cold air mass is situated just south of the Hudson Bay and has a direct path into our region.

Accompanying this blast of arctic air will be gusty winds and lake effect snow Friday, Saturday, and lingering into Sunday.”

He continues, describing how the winds will pick up through the day on Friday:

“Winds will increase during the day Friday as the coastal storm strengthens and high pressure builds in. Wind is driven by differences in air pressure, so as the two systems draw closer to each other, the wind will increase.

For today, wind gusts will be on the order of 30-45 mph. The highest gusts will be over the higher elevations of the Southern Tier and eastern Finger Lakes. With daytime highs near 30 degrees, the wind chill will make it feel more like the teens and single digits.

The wind chill will drop below zero tonight and early Saturday morning. Temperatures will fall back into the low teens while wind gusts will generally be under 35 mph overnight.

Stronger winds and colder temperatures are expected on Saturday, making it a bone-chilling day. High temperatures will top out near 20 degrees. The wind will increase in the morning and remain strong through the day. Top gusts of 40-50 mph will be commonplace, with the highest gusts near Lake Ontario in Wayne and Cayuga counties and over the higher elevations between Syracuse and Ithaca.

The combination of those strong winds and cold temperatures will keep the wind chill between -5 and +5 throughout the day.

Saturday night will see temperatures in the single digits and teens with wind gusts of 25 to 35 mph. More subzero wind chills are likely. Sunday’s winds will remain in the 25-35 mph range, which will result in wind chills mostly above zero with high temperatures again near 20 degrees.”

– Read more on the forecast, and also what might be coming next week