JAMESTOWN – The “Polar Vortex” continues to impact the region today but things will be changing as we go throughout the weekend.
The National Weather Service maintains the Winter Storm Warning for Lake Effect Snow for Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties until 7 PM tonight however, I honestly feel it will be canceled before than. The lake snow band is not very impressive anymore.
A Wind Chill Warning also remains in effect until 6 PM Tonight for wind chills near 25 below zero at times through this afternoon.
The Southern Tier has escaped the wrath of this lake effect event, with the targeted bullseye around the Buffalo/metro where some spots ended up getting nearly two feet of overall snow accumulation. The winds also made for some very dangerous driving conditions with a lot of blowing and drifting snow, creating true blizzard conditions.
The good news is, today is the last day of the “deep freeze.” While temps will still be held down into the teens on Friday, a big shift in the weather pattern will be occurring during the second half of the weekend.
Temperatures will spike back into the 40s for Sunday, with some getting near or above 50 for Monday. That milder air continues throughout much of next week as well.
While this warmup will be welcomed with open arms after the kind of weather we’ve just gone through, this could spell some trouble for flooding issues.
These warm temperatures could cause some rapid snow and ice melt, leading to flooding from the melting snow pack and ice jams on streams and rivers. This will be something were will have to keep our eyes on throughout the next several days.
Make sure you pay attention to any flood watches or warnings, especially if you live in a flood-prone area.
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