Heavy snow and sleet expected, starting tonight

Anywhere from four to 10 inches of snowfall mixed with sleet is expected to hit the greater Oneida County area Friday evening into the overnight, according to the National Weather Service. This will lead to dense, wet snow Saturday morning.

“It’s going to come in tomorrow evening with a quick batch of snow,” explained Mark Pellerito, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Binghamton.

“Whatever it’s going to be, it’s going to contain a lot of water.”

Pellerito said the snowfall will start Friday evening, which is when it will be at its worst. He said the snowfall could exceed one-inch per hour at its heaviest, with easterly winds of about 25 to 30 mph.

As the evening turns into the overnight, Pellerito said the snow will mix with sleet, and possibly freezing rain by the tail end early Saturday morning. He said this will mean heavy snow on the ground Saturday morning.

“It’s not going to be fun to plow or shovel,” Pellerito stated. “It’s going to be pretty dense stuff.”

Pellerito said to expect between four to six inches in the southern part of Oneida County, and possibly seven to 10 inches in the northern part.

The storm is the result of severe weather in Texas moving up the Ohio River Valley and then colliding with warmer weather from the north.

“The low pressure system that is responsible for it, it’s grabbing moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, near Texas,” Pellerito explained.

Throughout the day on Saturday, Pellerito said to expect only about an inch of accumulation as the snow tapers off.

Temperature highs will remain in the 30s for the coming week, which is about average for the beginning of March, he stated.