Epic Storm Winding Down. So What's Next??

The recent "snowbomb" that dumped 36"+ in a razor-thin stripe extending from South Buffalo eastward along the Cheektowaga/Depew border is beginning to unravel, but will still bring a few inches of additional snowfall to locations south of Buffalo as it sinks toward ski country overnight tonight. This event was arguably the third most disruptive lake effect storm in recent western New York history, ranking behind the infamous "October Surprise" of 2006 and the "Gridlock Storm" of November 2000...the latter having a much larger impact in the immediate vicinity of downtown Buffalo than this current event. So where do we go from here?

The next couple of days look relatively quiet in western New York. Sunshine will be hard to come by, as is typically the case at this time of year...but most locations will receive little snow of consequence. The exception may be across Chautauqua County tomorrow afternoon and evening where winds may line up just right to establish a brief connection with Lake Huron, resulting in a period of lake effect snow that may add up to a few inches along the Chautauqua Ridge. Not a huge deal, and continued light wind speeds will make blowing/drifting a non-issue...but there may be some slippery roads if you'll be traveling in that direction for whatever reason.

Things will begin to change as we head deeper into the weekend....and the period from Sunday through at least the middle of next week (potentially even beyond that) is looking like a very wintry period throughout western New York. I don't foresee any "epic" lake effect snowstorms that will dump feet at a time....but it will be snowing almost constantly, and I would anticipate at least a light accumulation in most spots each and every day. In the higher terrain south of Buffalo (from the Boston Hills down into the Southern Tier) the snowfall may be somewhat more significant with perhaps a few inches falling per day...and over the course of 5-6 days this may add up to fairly hefty amounts. Very cold temperatures will result in a more powdery snow, and blustery west to northwest winds will allow that snow to blow and drift...particularly in the open countryside where travel on north-south roads could become rather tricky. Be sure to check my facebook page for updates!