Traveling for Thanksgiving in Upstate NY? Keep an eye on this storm system

Syracuse, N.Y. – A cross-country storm system could slam Upstate New York just in time for Thanksgiving, and lake effect snow is likely to follow over the weekend.
The details are unclear, and meteorological computer models aren’t in agreement, but meteorologists are urging anybody traveling for Thanksgiving to keep an eye on this storm.
All of New York is under a hazardous weather outlook, the National Weather Service’s early alert that bad weather is possible over the next few days.
If the storm reaching the West Coast now hits the Northeast – and that’s not a certainty yet – it could bring rain or snow on Thanksgiving and Friday. A blast of cold air will follow, which could bring lake effect snow into the weekend.
Before all of that happens, Upstate could see some rain Tuesday and Wednesday, and some lake effect snow on the Tug Hill plateau.
For Thanksgiving Day, there are a couple of competing scenarios. One commonly used meteorological computer model predicts the center of the storm moving up along the East Coast in the middle of the week. That would bring snow early Thursday and a mix of rain and snow later in the day to Upstate New York.
Another model shows the low pressure storm center staying farther to the south, which would limit rain and snow for Upstate New York.
“For now, there is just too much uncertainty to provide details on this system,” the weather service said.
Those details should become clearer over the next couple of days as new data pours in and the models adjust.
What looks more certain is that very cold air will descend on Upstate New York from northern Canada in the wake of the storm system. High temperatures over the weekend will barely reach freezing, with lows dipping into the low 20s.
“This would be the first real winter temperatures the region has seen this season,” the weather service said. “The exact direction of the flow is still uncertain, but there will be potential for accumulating lake effect snow starting Friday and lasting through the weekend.”
The Great Lakes are ice-free and warm, so any cold winds blowing across them have the potential to generate heavy lake effect snow.