12/18/2024: Rain, Mountain Snow Tonight

The Latest Storm Tracker Forecast from Meteorologists Matt Mackie and Kevin Appleby:

Increasing clouds on this Wednesday as a weak system will bring a period of widespread rain and mountain snow this evening, but precipitation will clear the region by daybreak Thursday. Temperatures trend cooler, then significantly cooler, through the upcoming weekend.

Temperatures today will climb well above freezing outside of the mountain tops and only drop a little bit this evening as clouds keep us mild.

Precipitation looks to become widespread by 5-6 PM. That's when temperatures will gradually drop, supporting a changeover from rain to wet snow for much of the area. The exception - close your eyes Albany snow lovers - is the Hudson Valley from about Albany-Troy southbound. Sure, a few flakes may fly through the air, but accumulation is not expected.

This is another elevation-dependent snowfall. Widespread 1"-3" expected over the Catskills, Berkshires, Taconics, and Southern Adirondacks. The spine of the Green Mountains and higher terrain of the ADK will see slightly higher snowfall totals, with up to half a foot possible.

No accumulation for Albany because we do not anticipate the temperature to drop to freezing until around sunrise tomorrow morning, but widespread precip will taper shortly after midnight with just a few lingering showers here and there. Most other areas will drop below freezing - but when you see our long-range forecast, this will seem quite balmy!

A bit of a cooler feel to the air tomorrow in general as high temperatures generally stay in the 30s with a bit of a breeze expected out of the northwest. Skies will be partly sunny, so have the shades handy - especially if you get decent accumulation for sunshine to reflect off of.

Colder and even colder weather is on tap heading into the weekend. A few snow showers will develop Friday. While drier Saturday, it will be quite brisk with a bit of breeze. After most fail to rise above freezing Friday, temperatures won't get out of the 20s Saturday. But wait, there's more...

Winter begins at 4:20 AM Saturday and it couldn't possibly have a more proper intro to the News10 viewing area. After highs in the 20s on Saturday, temperatures plummet for Sunday. Morning temperatures in the single digits (below zero in the mountains) with the mercury anticipated to struggle to climb back to even 20 degrees despite ample sunshine. Sunday night will be the coldest of this stretch with Albany having a forecast low of 4 degrees. Moderation does begin Monday, however, with highs back in the mid 20s. Temps climb back to near 30 for Christmas Eve with a few snow showers in the forecast.