January to Bring Even More Snow, Extreme Cold to Central New York

Just as New York finished shoveling out from a 4-day blast of snow, another major winter threat is around the corner.

Portions in Central and Upstate New York were slammed by over 5 feet of lake effect snow since last week - and more snow could be on the way.

Read More: Mind Boggling CNY Snow Totals from First Snowstorm of 2025

Adding insult to injury was the arrival of the first polar vortex of the season, which is dropping temperatures into the teens and single digits.

It seems the extreme winter weather is not slowing down anytime soon. It appears even more snow and colder temperatures are heading to New York.

January to Bring Bone-Chilling Temperatures to CNY

Ray Stagich of The Weather Channel spoke with WIBX about what to expect in the coming days. He says we are in for several shots of extremely chilly air over the next few weeks.

As we get into next week, there will be another shot of colder air, [colder] than this air mass. And then later next week into the following week, after maybe a brief warm up, we could see some of the coldest air so far this winter starting around the week of January 20.

Stagich noted "the cold is here to stay" and that any warm ups will be very short lived.

He anticipates the month of January will definitely "be at or below normal in terms of temperatures for most of us" and unlike what we've experienced over the past few years.

Stagich says the state's coldest temperature on record is -52 in Stillwater Reservoir in Old Forge, which was set in February, 1979.

While it's not likely New York will break the state record, he warned that wind chill values will make it feel like a tundra outside.

What Are Wind Chill Values?

Stagich said wind chills are the inverse of the heat index, when temperature is measured by what it would feel like.

It's not that the air is actually that cold, but what it feels like to exposed skin because with the wind combined with the cold, what it's doing is actually pulling heat away from your body.

Stagich said wind chills will be brutal over the next few days, especially in North Country. He said the air temperature over the next few nights will be below 0.

In the Utica area, wind chills tonight, January 6, will reach around -7 and rise to -2 by tomorrow, January 7.

More Snow for Central New York

Stagich noted that while there are several snow possibilities in the coming weeks, he believes they won't be as extreme as what the area just endured.

It's more scattered snow and snow showers right on through the week, so at any time you may pick up a few inches here and there. 

Stagich also noted the season for lake effect snow is winding down due in part to the constant blasts of cold air.

One the Great Lakes freeze over, the chance of lake effect snow dissipates. He said this typically happens during the month of January.

After that, Stagich said New York's source of snow changes to East Coast blizzards that head north during the months of February and March.

Stagich also noted these snowstorms are usually larger than lake effect events.

So we're kind of getting into that middle ground right now and I'll just say this: We still got a long way to go. 

With it only being the first week of January, and parts of New York already buried under 5 feet of snow and negative temperatures already here, it should set the tone of what the rest of the winter will be like.

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