Lake effect snow begins to fall in Central New York today: 1 foot or more possible

Syracuse, NY – Up to a foot of snow could fall in central New York starting this afternoon through Friday, with the heaviest snowfall and squalls occurring Thursday morning on the commute, according to the weather service.

According to the National Weather Service, snow showers will occur this afternoon, particularly north of the State Thruway in portions of Onondaga, Oswego and Oneida counties.

These lake effect bands could bring snow falling at a rate of 1 inch per hour to northern Oneida County.

But things could get a lot more chaotic in the Syracuse area early Thursday.

Heavier snowfall is expected in parts of Onondaga County from about 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. Strong winds – with gusts exceeding 40 miles per hour – could lead to squalls and whiteout situations.

Nine counties in Central New York and Northern New York are under a winter storm warning: Chenango, Cortland, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Onondaga, Oneida, Oswego and Otsego.

The exact timing and location of the snow bands is difficult to predict, the weather service said in its briefing this morning.

In one scenario, 12 inches of snow could fall in the Syracuse area. Oswego could reach 11 inches and Boonville could reach 20 inches.

In a more likely forecast, there would be 6 inches of snow in Syracuse and just 7 inches in Boonville, the weather service predicts.

Strong wind gusts could knock down tree branches and cause isolated power outages on Thursday.

South of Syracuse — into the Finger Lakes and up to the Pennsylvania border — gusts as high as 50 mph could occur Thursday, the service said.