561  
FXUS61 KBGM 192338  
AFDBGM  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY  
638 PM EST THU DEC 19 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW IS LIKELY FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY WITH MAINLY  
LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED. VERY COLD AIR MOVES IN FOR THE  
WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES BEGIN TO WARM UP  
TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/
 
 
630 PM UPDATE...  
 
QUIET EVENING IN STORE FOR THE REGION WITH WEAK RIDGING OVER THE  
AREA. THE FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK WITH MINIMAL UPDATES TO  
WINDS AND SKY COVER BASED ON THE LATEST HIGH-RES GUIDANCE.  
 
310 PM UPDATE:  
 
LIGHT LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS ARE PERSISTING A BIT LONGER THAN  
PREVIOUSLY FORECASTED AROUND THE NY THRUWAY CORRIDOR WITH A  
CONTINUED NORTHWEST FLOW OFF OF LAKE ONTARIO. MADE SOME  
ADJUSTMENTS TO POPS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON THERE  
WITH THIS LATEST UPDATE. THESE LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS ARE  
EXPECTED TO END BY THIS EVENING WITH THE FLOW GRADUALLY TURNING  
MORE EASTERLY.  
 
MOST OF TONIGHT WILL BE PRECIPITATION FREE WITH OUR REGION  
SANDWICHED IN BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE LOCATED TO THE NORTH AND AN  
APPROACHING CLIPPER SYSTEM FROM THE WEST. SKIES WILL REMAIN  
MOSTLY CLOUDY THOUGH WITH PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE PRESENT.  
LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO MAINLY BE IN THE 20S.  
 
THE SETUP FOR FRIDAY IS A BIT COMPLICATED AS A CLIPPER SYSTEM  
AND AN INCREASINGLY NEGATIVELY TILTED TROUGH COLLIDES/PHASES  
WITH A COASTAL LOW DEVELOPING OFF THE MID-ATLANTIC/SOUTHERN NEW  
ENGLAND COAST. HOWEVER, THE TIMING OF THIS PHASING OCCURS A BIT  
TOO LATE AND THEREFORE HEAVY SNOWFALL IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS  
TIME. THERE MAY BE A SOMEWHAT ENHANCED AREA OF QPF ACROSS THE  
POCONOS-CATSKILLS DUE TO SOME OROGRAPHIC LIFT, BUT EVEN THIS IS  
NOT EXPECTED TO BE SIGNIFICANT. DESPITE THE RELATIVELY LOW  
IMPACT NATURE OF THIS EVENT, THIS DOES LOOK TO BE AN ENTIRELY  
SNOW EVENT WITH ENOUGH COLD AIR IN PLACE AND EVAPORATIVE  
COOLING. THE ONE EXCEPTION MAY END UP BEING PARTS OF THE WYOMING  
VALLEY IN PA WHERE RAIN MAY MIX IN AT TIMES. HIGHS ARE EXPECTED  
TO BE IN THE UPPER 20S TO MID 30S.  
 
THE CLIPPER SYSTEM BEGINS TO MOVE EAST OF THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT,  
BUT WITH A NORTHWESTERLY FLOW DEVELOPING, THE SYNOPTIC SNOW IS  
EXPECTED TO TRANSITION TO LAKE EFFECT/LAKE ENHANCED. THIS MEANS  
THAT SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL PERSIST THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT  
FOR MOST OF CENTRAL NY, WHILE NORTHEAST PA WILL SEE THE SNOW  
GRADUALLY END THROUGH THE NIGHT. LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE  
MID TEENS TO MID 20S.  
 
IN TOTAL, MOST AREAS WILL SEE A GENERAL 1-3 INCHES OF SNOW  
ACCUMULATION, WITH MORE LIKE 2-5 INCHES FOR PARTS OF THE FINGER  
LAKES REGION. THERE WAS BRIEF CONSIDERATION TO ISSUE WINTER  
WEATHER ADVISORIES FOR PARTS OF THE FINGER LAKES REGION, BUT  
AFTER COORDINATING WITH NWS BUF, IT WAS DECIDED TO HOLD OFF  
SINCE THESE AMOUNTS WOULD BE SPREAD OUT OVER A 36 HOUR PERIOD  
WITH RELATIVELY LOW IMPACT AND CONFIDENCE IN SEEING WIDESPREAD  
ADVISORY AMOUNTS (GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW)  
OVER THERE ISN'T QUITE HIGH ENOUGH. THIS WILL BE RE-EVALUATED  
WITH TONIGHT'S MIDNIGHT SHIFT.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/
 
 
350 PM UPDATE...  
 
AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF A CLIPPER SYSTEM, FALLING 850MB TEMPS AND  
NORTHWEST FLOW WILL SUPPORT LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS TO KICK OFF THE  
WEEKEND. THESE SNOW SHOWERS WILL LAST THROUGH THE DAYTIME HOURS ON  
SUNDAY UNTIL A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS TO BUILD INTO THE  
REGION. ACCUMULATIONS FOR SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING WILL BE  
FAIRLY LIGHT AND MAINLY LIMITED TO THE FINGER LAKES AND SOUTHERN  
TIER REGIONS. MODEL SOUNDINGS DO SHOW SOME NEGATIVE OMEGA WITHIN THE  
DGZ ALONG WITH AMPLE MOISTURE INDICATING THAT SOME HEAVIER BANDS MAY  
BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES. CANADIAN MODEL GUIDANCE WAS BLENDED IN WITH  
NBM GUIDANCE TO INCREASE POPS DURING THIS PERIOD. IN ADDITION TO  
THE HIGH PRESSURE BRINGING DRIER AIR, THE LOW-LEVEL FLOW BECOMES  
MORE WESTERLY OVER LAKE ONTARIO, SO ANY SNOW SHOWERS THAN CAN  
STILL DEVELOP SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE NORTH OF THE REGION.  
 
MODEL SOUNDINGS FAVOR STRONGER LOW-LEVEL WINDS MIXING DOWN TO THE  
SURFACE, LEADING TO A BLUSTERY DAY ON SATURDAY. PEAK GUSTS WILL BE  
AS HIGH AS 20 TO 25 MPH WHICH MAY ALSO RESULT IN SOME BLOWING SNOW.  
WHILE HIGHS WILL BE IN THE UPPER TEENS TO MID 20S, WIND CHILLS WILL  
BE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS. TEMPERATURES THEN FALL INTO THE  
SINGLE DIGITS AND POTENTIALLY BELOW ZERO IN SOME PLACES OVERNIGHT.  
WINDS REMAIN GUSTY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING SO WIND CHILLS WILL APPROACH  
COLD WEATHER ADVISORY CRITERIA. WHILE THE COLDER AIR MASS SLOWLY  
BEGINS TO RETREAT NORTHWARD ON SUNDAY, TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN  
CHILLY WITH HIGHS ONLY IN THE TEENS AND LOW 20S AND LOWS IN THE  
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SINGLE DIGITS. FORECASTED LOWS WERE DROPPED  
BELOW GUIDANCE AS CLEAR SKIES AND FRESH SNOWPACK SHOULD ALLOW FOR  
EFFICIENT RADIATIONAL COOLING. TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR OR BELOW  
ZERO ACROSS THE REGION THOUGH WIND CHILLS WILL NOT BE AS LOW SUNDAY  
NIGHT AS WINDS GRADUALLY BECOME CALM.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
350 PM UPDATE...  
 
QUIET CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS IN  
PLACE. ANOTHER WEAK CLIPPER SYSTEM MOVES IN EITHER LATE MONDAY NIGHT  
OR TUESDAY MORNING. THERE REMAINS DISAGREEMENT ON THE TIMING OF THIS  
SYSTEM, BUT IT DOES LOOK LIKE CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN COLD ENOUGH FOR  
PRECIPITATION TO BE MAINLY SNOW. WHILE ENSEMBLES ARE SHOWING SOME  
PRECIPITATION FOR WEDNESDAY AS WELL, HIGH PRESSURE WILL LIKELY WIN  
OUT AND CONDITIONS SHOULD BE DRY. BECAUSE OF THIS, POPS WERE LOWERED  
BELOW NBM GUIDANCE. AS MENTIONED IN PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS, CHANCES  
CONTINUE TO INCREASE FOR THERE TO BE A WHITE CHRISTMAS, WHICH BY  
DEFINITION IS ONE OR MORE INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND CHRISTMAS  
MORNING. AFTER WEDNESDAY, THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY BUT MOST  
GUIDANCE HAS ANOTHER RIDGE BUILDING INTO THE REGION THURSDAY. SOME  
HAVE A WEAK SYSTEM PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING, SO LOW CHANCES FOR  
PRECIPITATION WILL REMAIN IN THE FORECAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO  
THURSDAY.  
 
TEMPERATURES WILL TREND WARMER THROUGHOUT NEXT WEEK. HIGHS IN THE  
20S ON MONDAY WILL JUMP TO THE UPPER 30S AND LOW 40S THURSDAY. LOWS  
WILL FOLLOW A SIMILAR WARMING TREND AS WELL, THOUGH NOT BEFORE SOME  
NIGHTS IN THE TEENS TO START THE WORK WEEK. WITH WARMER CONDITIONS  
LATE IN THIS PERIOD, ANY PRECIPITATION AFTER WEDNESDAY WOULD BE  
MAINLY RAIN.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
SOME LINGERING CEILING AND OCCASIONAL VISBY RESTRICTIONS AT KSYR  
THIS AFTERNOON FROM SOME LAKE EFFECT CLOUDS AND SNOW SHOWERS,  
BUT OTHERWISE CONDITIONS AT ALL OTHER TERMINALS WILL LIKELY BE  
MAINLY VFR THROUGH TONIGHT. THEN ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS MOVE  
BACK IN FROM WEST TO EAST FRIDAY MORNING, ALONG WITH LIGHT SNOW  
MOVING IN. OCCASIONAL IFR RESTRICTIONS CANNOT BE RULED OUT  
TOWARDS THE END OF THE TAF PERIOD (LATE FRIDAY MORNING/EARLY  
FRIDAY AFTERNOON).  
 
OUTLOOK...  
 
FRIDAY NIGHT... SOME RESTRICTIONS WITH LIGHT SNOW, ESPECIALLY  
IN THE EVENING.  
 
SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS MAY BRING  
OCCASIONAL RESTRICTIONS TO THE CENTRAL NY TERMINALS. OTHERWISE  
MAINLY VFR.  
 
MONDAY...MAINLY VFR.  
 
TUESDAY...OCCASIONAL RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE IN SCATTERED SNOW  
SHOWERS.  
 

 
   
BGM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
PA...NONE.  
NY...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...BJG  
NEAR TERM...BJG/JTC  
SHORT TERM...BTL  
LONG TERM...BTL  
AVIATION...BJG  
 
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