Winter weather advisory issued for Rochester region. How much snow could we get?

Victoria E. Freile, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·3 min read
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The biggest snowfall of the season could cover Rochester this week. That said, It's been a mild winter as far are snow totals go, with roughly 30 inches of snow tallied in Rochester this season as of Wednesday morning, according to data from the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

A winter weather advisory is underway for Monroe and surrounding counties in western New York. For Monroe, the advisory is in effect from 5 p.m. Friday through 10 a.m. Saturday. Snow and sleet is expected, with snow accumulations up to 8 inches in some areas.

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Winds gusting as high as 35 mph are also possible.

Periods of snow will result in snow covered roads and limited visibilities. Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute, according to the Weather Service.

How much snow could Rochester NY get in winter storm?

The Rochester region is expected to see "decent accumulating snow" with between 4 and 8 inches expected to cover Rochester between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, Weather Service meteorologist Phil Pandolfo said on Wednesday. Rochester area residents living closer to Lake Ontario are expected to see higher snow totals.

While the storm might not measure up among Rochester's snowiest days, Friday could very well become the snowiest day of the season, said Jason Alumbaugh, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo. To date this season, the largest one-day snowfall total was 2.4 inches, which occurred twice this winter – on Nov. 17 and this past Monday, Feb. 27.

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Alumbaugh said forecasters are tracking the storm and said that it is not yet clear how much snow will fall before switching over to a mix of snow followed by sleet, freezing rain and/or rain. Whatever snow falls before the wintry mix will likely be compacted down and could impact snow totals, Pandolfo said.

Models currently predict the storm's heaviest snowfall to hit Rochester on Friday evening, between 7 p.m. and midnight, forecasters said.

Rochester NY snowfall total averages

Rochester's seasonal snowfall to date is 29.9 inches, which is nearly 51 inches short of Rochester's normal seasonal snowfall at the end of February. On average, Rochester gets around 100 inches of snow each winter. Last year, the 2021-22 season tallied 87 inches of snow, in which the snowiest month by far was January's 34.4 inches of snow. The least snowy winter on record was in 1932-33, when only 29.2 inches fell.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester NY Weather: Winter storm could bring biggest snowfall of season