Weather synopsis: December 8

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING/ THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING/ THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING/ THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A LAKE-SHORE FOOD WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THOUGH THURSDAY. Currently in Buffalo, NY the temperature is 31°F under partly cloudy skies. A powerful winter storm over the Central Plains is charging northeast ward. This system has produced tornadic thunderstorms and flooding rains across the South from Texas through Florida and northward on the warm side of the storm as well as significant snow along with blizzard conditions for much of the nation from the San Francisco Bay area of California to the western Great Lakes on the cold side. The storm is making its way into the Northeast. Ahead of the storm winds will range between 15 and 20 MPH. In the wake of this system winds will really crank up. From Wednesday night through Thursday winds will be sustained at 35 to 40 MPH with gusts up and over 60 MPH. This will set the stage for flooding along Lake Erie's eastern shores with a water rise of 9 feet above the water datum. Along with the strong winds, very cold air will take precedence as a sharp cold front will move in significantly dropping the temperatures Wednesday evening. Cold temperatures combined with strong winds will drop windchill values considerably, I expect windchill advisories to be issued. Precipitation wise, this system will initially produce a mix of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain for the immediate Buffalo metropolitan area tonight through Wednesday morning before warm air off the Atlantic changes the precipitation briefly to rain by late morning. Wednesday evening as the storm pulls away, Lake-Effect Snow will develop. Some areas could be measuring snow in feet. Lake-Effect Snow will develop over the Niagara frontier then settle over the south towns of Buffalo where the highest snow fall amounts are likely. Along with the heavy snow, winds will be howling and blizzard conditions will be common. I expect blizzard advisories to be issued some time between Wednesday evening and Friday.