Syracuse, N.Y. -- Upstate New York’s lake effect snow machine will rev up again today, blasting Western New York and Tug Hill with up to 3 feet of snow through Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
That’s on top of several feet that fell over the weekend.
Like the weekend, this week’s heavy snow will be largely confined to areas northeast of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The rest of Upstate New York, including the Syracuse area, will see just a few inches, much of it today.
A winter weather advisory is in effect for most of Upstate New York east of Syracuse today, with 2 to 5 inches of snow possible.
The snow will come during what is easily the coldest week of the winter so far. Temperatures are expected to stay below freezing through at least Saturday.
The weather service has issued lake effect snow warnings for Jefferson, Lewis and Oswego counties on Tug Hill and for Erie, Genesee and Wyoming counties in Western New York. The warnings are in effect from 1 p.m. today until 7 p.m. Thursday.
“Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 feet in the most persistent lake snows,” the warning said. “Winds gusting as high as 40 mph, mainly Wednesday afternoon and evening.”
Those winds will generate dangerous wind chills as low as 20 degrees below zero by Thursday morning, the weather service said. At those wind chills, frostbite can set in on exposed skin within 30 minutes.
The worst of the snow should end late in the work week, the weather service said, but the cold will intensify through Saturday, expected to be the coldest day of the year.
Temperatures warm slightly and lake effect snow turns to light showers by Sunday, when the Buffalo Bills play host to rivals the Kansas City Chiefs at 6:30 p.m. Sunday in the second round of the NFL playoffs.
The wild card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday because of the first heavy wave of lake effect snow and winds. Fans dug out snow at Highmark Stadium on Monday just to find their seats, but Buffalo won, 31-17.