Subzero wind chills expected in Rochester. How cold will it get?
Expect some bitter cold weather and bursts of snow Friday as Mother Nature chills the Rochester region with subzero wind chills.
According to the National Weather Service in Buffalo, "much colder weather" will move into the region through Saturday with "dangerously cold wind chills" approaching 20 degrees below zero in western New York. Some area school districts canceled classes for Friday due to the extreme cold, including the Rochester City School District.
The coldest stretch is predicted to be between Friday afternoon and midnight, said Weather Service meteorologist Liz Jurkowski. Colder air was expected to move into the region Thursday evening, causing temperatures to "drop like a rock," she said. It also brought "a burst of snow" to the Rochester region on Thursday evening, roughly 1 to 3 inches, depending on location. The Weather Service recorded about 1.5 inches at the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport around 1 a.m. Friday.
Friday's high is predicted to be around 8, and a low of 2, but when considering expected sustained winds around 20-25 mph and gusts up to 35 mph, it will feel far colder, Jurkowski said.
An arctic cold front will plow across the area AFTER the evening commute bringing a burst of heavy snow and blowing snow with wind gusts over 40 mph. Temps will crash behind the front with brutal cold and dangerously low wind chills late tonight through early Saturday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/MfAffHTe6O
— NWS Buffalo (@NWSBUFFALO) February 2, 2023
The wind chill is expected to be between in the negative teens during the day on Friday and around -20 Friday night in much of the Rochester region. South of Rochester, including in Ontario and Livingston counties, the wind chill is predicted to dip as low as -25 in the same timeframe, according to the Weather Service.
The wind-chill factor is the combination of air temperature and wind speed, measuring how cold the air feels to exposed skin. With such bone-chilling temperatures, forecasters say frostbite can occur in a matter of minutes.
Forecasters on Thursday issued a wind chill advisory for much of western New York that runs from 4 a.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday. An advisory for parts of the Southern Tier, including the Ithaca and Elmira areas runs from 7 a.m. Friday to noon Saturday.
A wind chill warning was issued in communities east of Lake Ontario, where the wind chill is expected to dip as low as -40 near Watertown and -35 near Syracuse.
Between 3 and 5 inches of lake effect snow is also predicted in parts of Monroe and Wayne counties by early Saturday morning, with the bulk of the snow expected to fall Friday afternoon and evening, said Weather Service meteorologist Jon Hitchcock. Lakeshore communities in eastern Monroe County and in Wayne County are expected to see the most snow. A winter weather advisory is underway through 4 a.m. Saturday.
Monroe County announced Thursday that it activated its "Code Blue" protocol, which occurs whenever the temperature falls to 5 degrees or colder. Under "Code Blue," outreach teams work with homeless individuals to ensure they have shelter, transportation and meals for the duration of the cold weather event.
A 24-hour warming center will also be available at Open Door Mission, 210 W. Main Street, Rochester.
City officials opened several warming centers for Friday:
The Trenton and Pamela Jackson R-Center, 485 N. Clinton Ave., Rochester - open 8 a.m. through 9 p.m.
The David F. Gantt R-Center, 700 North St., Rochester - open 10 a.m. through 9 p.m.
Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, 115 South Ave. Rochester - open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
All other Rochester R-centers will be open from 2 to 9 p.m. Rochester public library branches are also open for normal operating hours,
Anyone seeking shelter from the extreme cold can call (585) 753-6044 during business hours or (585) 442-1742 after 5 p.m. and weekends.
Temperatures should warm up on Saturday, where the high is predicted to reach the mid 20s, and nearly reach 40 degrees on Sunday.
The normal high in early February in Rochester is in the low 30s.
It's been a little chilly the past couple of days, but toasty compared to what we'll be seeing by the end of the week. Be prepared for sub-zero wind chills starting Thursday night, with the coldest wind chills Friday night. Expect extreme wind chills east of Lake Ontario! pic.twitter.com/lndeBFzEsB
— NWS Buffalo (@NWSBUFFALO) February 2, 2023
School closings in Rochester NY
The Rochester City School District is closed Friday, as are several districts south of Monroe County, including Geneva City School District and Marcus Whitman Central School District, both located in Ontario County. Several private schools also closed Friday including the Charles Finney School in Penfield.
Monroe Community College also canceled classes at all campuses Friday and Keuka College in Yates County closed for the day.
January temperatures in Rochester NY
The bitter cold blast comes after a particularly mild January, with a dozen days landing at high temperatures of 40 degrees or more. The warmest day recorded was Jan. 12 at 45 degrees, according to the Weather Service. The coldest day came Tuesday (Jan. 31) with a low of 17 and was one of only two days last month when the low dropped below 20 degrees. The normal high for much of the month in Rochester is in the low 30s, according to the Weather Service.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester NY Weather: Temperatures to plummet. How cold will it get?
