One thing we haven't seen much of this winter is lake effect snow. Tonight, it returns to our area. Cold air moving over the relatively warmer waters of the Great Lakes will produce a band of heavy lake effect snow.
The band develops near midnight along the Oneida/Madison County line. The band will remain mostly stationary overnight, producing 1-2 inches per hour snowfall rates. The band will shift south Thursday morning, pushing into Chenango and Otsego Counties before falling apart. Here's a look at the snowfall forecast for this event:
It's important to remember that lake effect snow is localized. Just because the entire county is under a lake effect snow warning doesn't mean the entire county will see warning level snowfall (7 inches in 12 hours). We expect the snow to end before noon, with cold, dry weather for the rest of Thursday.