Lake-effect snow will slow down New Year’s Day travel

CLEVELAND — Cold air coming in from the north on New Year’s Eve night will begin to initiate lake-effect snow bands. Winds will also be very gusty up to 40 mph.

The combination of wind and snow could lead to whiteout conditions at times beginning early Wednesday all the way through late Thursday.

Snowfall amounts for Cuyahoga, Lake and Ashtabula counties could get up to 6 inches where we have a Winter Storm Watch.

The heaviest snow and highest impact will be in Geauga county which is under a Lake-Effect Snow Warning.

We may see 12-18 inches of snow in spots and some very tough if not impossible travel.

If you see a Snow Squall Warning, try to delay travel as these heavy bursts of snow could drop visibility down to zero and bring in some very quick accumulations.

The current winter alerts may briefly come down late Thursday, but more lake-effect snow is likely Friday through the weekend. 

This is a very cold, active and snowy pattern for us through early next week.

A storm system from the south on Monday could lead to more travel issues and widespread snowfall.