The first snowfall of the season is right on schedule this year. We're keeping a close eye on Hurricane Zeta, which is expected to make landfall tonight and weaken as it races to the northeast. Rain from Zeta looks to arrive Thursday afternoon, before changing to a round of snow Thursday night.
It's important to note that by the time Zeta gets to our area, it will lose a lot of its "tropical characteristics". In other words, don't expect very much wind from this.
As for snowfall, the most likely area to see an accumulation looks to be south of the Mohawk Valley - particularly higher elevations. Most of us will be able to get away with the snow brush Friday morning though, with a trace to an inch of accumulation for the Mohawk Valley. Hilltops north of the valley are in the zone of uncertainty, where a shift in the storm would bring closer to 2-3". We'll keep a close watch on that spot and make adjustments to the forecast, if necessary.
Cold weather arrives in the wake of this system, with highs only in the 30s on Friday. The fast moving pace of this system also means most of Friday will be dry, with lots of sunshine and NO SNOW for Halloween!
Our next chance of snow looks to be late Sunday into Monday, with a strong cold front.