Rochester, NY (WHAM) - The theme of our La Nina Winter in WNY has been mild air and minimal amounts of snow compared to normal. So far this January has averaged nearly 7 degrees above normal in Rochester with snowfall averaging nearly 17" below normal.
Only two days for the entire month have featured colder than normal air temperatures and you're probably wondering how much longer a weather pattern like this can hold up. The short answer is that it's going away soon. However, the rest of your weekend forecast will stay mild as the high temperature Sunday reaches 40 degrees for many areas near Rochester. That 40 degree relative warmth will be paired up with occasional rain showers.
A cold front will cross the region Sunday evening and produce some light snow showers. More importantly, it will re-introduce much more seasonable air for the Great Lakes and New England. The high temperature next week will actually drop below normal for the first time in several weeks. High temperatures Monday through Wednesday will stay in the 20s with Thursday potentially reaching 30.
As you can see above, that slight warm up into Thursday won't last long as another Arctic air mass will build into WNY by Friday and Saturday. This will be the coldest air of the season to this point with overnight lows in the single digits heading into next weekend.
That cold air will likely pair with some lake effect snow late in the week. We'll keep you posted on any potential snow as get closer to the end of next week.
You can always get the latest weather updates on the 13WHAM Weather App as well.