High winds, bitter cold: What to know as wintry blast approaches Southern Tier
A powerful pre-Christmas storm will sock the Southern Tier of New York with high winds, subzero wind chills and light snow over the next three days as an Arctic air blast advances over most of the nation.
The National Weather Service said more than half the U.S. is forecast to have areas with negative double-digit wind chill temperatures resulting in "dangerously cold conditions across most of the country."
While major snow accumulation and blizzard conditions are not in the forecast for the Broome County area and across the Southern Tier, it's a different story farther west.
The Buffalo National Weather Service Office issued a blizzard warning for Erie, Niagara, Orleans and Genesee counties, starting at 7 a.m. Friday and continuing until 7 a.m. Sunday. The Weather Service said total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 feet are possible with wind gusts of 70 miles per hour making travel "difficult to impossible."
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What to expect in the Southern Tier region
In a word, cold.
After an overnight warming, the deep freeze will begin during the day on Friday in the Southern Tier and in Central New York.
It will be much colder than a normal Christmas weekend in Binghamton, where the average high on Christmas from 1951 to 2021 is about 32 degrees.
"We have not had a real cold air mass like this on Christmas in a number of years," said Joanne LaBounty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Binghamton.
Gusty winds, rain, snow and bitter cold all coming the next couple of days. #nywx #pawx pic.twitter.com/Z4md1EGQKw
— NWS Binghamton (@NWSBinghamton) December 22, 2022
The Weather Service issued a wind advisory for the Southern Tier from 7 a.m. Thursday until 5 p.m. Friday.
A wind chill advisory goes into effect at 5 p.m. Friday and continues until noon on Christmas Eve.
In Binghamton, temperatures are expected to rise throughout the day and into the overnight hours with a high of 45 degrees by 5 a.m. Friday.
The National Weather Service said much of the snowpack will melt Thursday night and Friday morning. Runoff could cause flooding issues, especially for common flood-prone and low-lying areas.
Major snow accumulations are not expected.
“We are going to have brief period of snow when the precipitation starts (Thursday). Maybe for one or two hours. Under an inch of snow before it changes over to rain," LaBounty said.
What to expect on Friday
The Weather Service said the powerful front will blast through with 35-45 mph gusts in the afternoon. A few spots could experience winds greater than 50 mph along with frontal showers. The Weather Service said scattered power outages are possible.
Friday's rain is expected to change to snow during the day, with flash freeze on roads making travel hazardous as temperatures plummet to the teens by evening.
As the snow subsides Friday night, temperatures will dive into the single digits, with subzero wind chills.
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What to expect on Christmas Eve
The National Weather Service is forecasting some light amounts of snow for the Finger Lakes counties but the major issue will be a continuation of the bitter cold with gusty winds and subzero wind chills.
For the Binghamton area, highs are not expected to climb past 14. Winds will be out of the southwest at about 18 mph with gusts on Christmas Eve of 30 mph.
What to expect on Christmas Day
Continued cold is the forecast for Christmas. High temperature during the day will be about 20 degrees with a low Christmas night of 7. Major snowfall is not expected.
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This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Southern Tier weather forecast: Holiday storm brings rain, snow, wind
