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

Victoria E. Freile, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·3 min read

What will the weather be like for the St. Patrick's Day parade in Rochester? The forecast calls calls for some scattered snow showers, mainly before 1 p.m. in the Rochester area. It will be cloudy, with a high near 33 degrees. Total daytime snow accumulation will be less than one inch.

How much snow did Rochester NY get?

  • HONEOYE FALLS 5.1 IN

  • GREECE 5.0 IN

  • ROC AIRPORT 4.0 IN

  • HENRIETTA 4.0 IN

  • FAIRPORT 3.5 IN

Winter weather advisory for Rochester NY

A winter weather advisory has been issued for much of the Rochester region, where snow is expected to start falling midday, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

An advisory for Monroe, Wayne, Livingston and Ontario counties, runs through 9 a.m. Saturday. The advisory for Orleans and Genesee counties as well as the Buffalo region is underway and runs through 7 a.m. Saturday.

Weather Service Meteorologist David Thomas said widespread snow is expected across the Great Lakes region as the system travels east. Wind gusts up to 35 mph are predicted to accompany the storm.

A travel advisory is underway for Livingston County, warning of snow-covered roads and for drivers to slow down on Interstate 390. The roads are not closed, said Livingston County Sheriff Thomas Dougherty, but motorists should be aware of hazardous travel conditions. The advisory is set to expire at midnight.

How much snow is expected in Rochester NY

Between 4 and 8 inches of snow are expected to fall throughout the Rochester region, which could cause poor visibility and slippery road conditions on Friday evening and could impact the evening commute, forecasters said.

"This could be one of our snowiest events of the season," Thomas said. "But this has been a very lacking snow winter."

Just last week — a storm dropped 6.4 inches on Rochester over two days, which was by far the snowiest storm of the winter at the time, Thomas said. The snowiest day of the season was the second day of the storm — when 3.7 inches fell on March 4, he said.

As for the pending storm, snow will start to accumulate on grassy areas and non-paved roads on Friday afternoon, but once the sun sets — and the temperature falls — it will accumulate on paved roads, Thomas said.

In Chautauqua County, up to a foot of heavy snow is expected to fall in the higher elevations during the same time frame. The Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the area through 7 a.m. Saturday.

Rochester NY snowfall total averages

Rochester's seasonal snowfall to date is 36.3 inches, which is nearly 52 inches short of Rochester's normal seasonal snowfall as of March 9. 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 advisory issued for region