Drivers in northern New York may face rapidly deteriorating road conditions by midday Friday as a major lake-enhanced snowstorm hits the Eastern Lake Ontario region, with up to 15 inches of snow and wind gusts of 45 mph forecast until Saturday afternoon.
The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Oswego, Jefferson, and Lewis counties, which will last until 2 p.m. Saturday. Meteorologists predict widespread snowfall of 8 to 15 inches, with the heaviest bands predicted over the Tug Hill Plateau and the Adirondacks’ western foothills.
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The Watertown metro region may get lesser totals of 2 to 4 inches, but high gusts could cause blowing snow and unexpected visibility decreases along major roadways including as Interstate 81 and Route 3. Gusts up to 45 mph over Lake Ontario’s eastern shoreline and across the northern slopes of Tug Hill may sever tree branches and create sporadic power outages.
The timing could delay the Friday evening commute in Jefferson and Lewis counties when snowfall rates rise and drifting snow jams secondary roadways. Emergency managers advise drivers to postpone non-essential travel, charge gadgets ahead of probable outages, and maintain winter emergency kits in their vehicles.
Snow and wind will continue throughout Friday before gradually reducing by early Saturday afternoon, but drifting snow may remain on exposed roads even after the heaviest bands have passed. Additional advisories may be issued if snowfall bands intensify over Tug Hill.
