Driving for Thanksgiving in Upstate NY? Here’s the weather you can expect

Here’s the latest forecast for Thanksgiving in Central NY
Update: The weather service has now expanded the winter weather advisory to Cortland, Madison and Oneida counties, where up to 6 inches of snow could fall at higher elevations on Thanksgiving Day.
Syracuse, N.Y. — After a dry, sunny day today, Upstate New York will see a storm system sweep in tonight from the Midwest, bringing rain and snow on Thanksgiving Day.
For most areas, there could be very light snow Thursday, and it’s likely to fall before 8 a.m. Less than an inch is expected along the Thruway corridor, including Buffalo, Syracuse and Albany.
High temperatures will be in the upper 30s or low 40s on Thanksgiving Day, according to the National Weather Service.
At elevations about 1,500 feet or so, where temperatures are several degrees cooler, heavy, wet snow could make roads slippery. The hardest-hit areas on Thanksgiving Day are likely to be the Catskills and Adirondacks.
The snow could reach up into hills in the southern portions of Onondaga and Madison counties.
Driving home over the weekend could be difficult, especially in lake effect snow regions.
On Friday, the lake effect snow machine kicks into gear for the first time this season as the first surge of Arctic air pushes into Upstate New York. Forecasters are calling for a significant and long-lasting lake effect storm that could bring more than a foot of snow and treacherous driving conditions.
Winds are expected to blow from the west through much of the weekend, confining the lake effect snow to the typical lake effect areas south of Buffalo and on the Tug Hill plateau. Wind gusts could reach 30 mph, creating blinding conditions for driving.
Winter storm watches will be in effect for those areas from Friday morning to Sunday morning.
“The potential exists for a significant, long-duration lake effect snow event,” the weather service said. “There is uncertainty in exact band placement and amounts, but multiple periods of heavy snow are possible.”
By Monday, winds could shift and come from the northwest. If that happens, lake effect snow could reach all the way from the Georgian Bay to Central New York and even parts of the Southern Tier, the weather service said.
The exact positions of narrow lake effect snow bands are very hard to predict several days ahead of time.