Say it ain't snow! The first flakes of the season have arrived in Upstate New York even though winter doesn't officially begin until December 21.

The US National Weather Service in Burlington, Vermont noticed snowflakes on the Whiteface Base webcam near 2000 feet on Friday, September 23.

Credit - New York State Mesonet via National Weather Service VT
Credit - New York State Mesonet via National Weather Service VT
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Winter at Whiteface Summit

It was a different story higher up the mountain. Winter-like conditions hit the summit today, which is not unusual for this time of year.

 "This is just about average for the first snowfall," the Whiteface Mountain Field Station shared on Facebook.

Credit - ASRC Whiteface Mountain Field Station via Facebook
Credit - ASRC Whiteface Mountain Field Station via Facebook
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Credit - ASRC Whiteface Mountain Field Station via Facebook
Credit - ASRC Whiteface Mountain Field Station via Facebook
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From Fall

What a difference a day can make. Thursday, September 22 was a beautiful fall day at Whiteface Mountain with leaves just starting to change color.

To Winter in One Day

One day later, snow blankets those trees in the mountains. With cooler temperatures in the forecast for the next couple of days, the flakes may stick around for a bit.

Old Forge Flakes

It wasn't just Whiteface Mountain that saw a little snow today. Mother Nature blessed Old Forge, New York with a few flakes too.

Shave, Shiver & Shovel This Winter

We may get an early dose of the winter season in other parts of New York this year. The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting plenty of snow, rain, and mush, as well as some record-breaking cold temperatures in their extended forecast.

We may see the first signs of winter earlier than last year too. Maybe not as early as late September like on Whiteface Mountain, but December could be stormy and cold with what the Farmer's Almanac is calling an 'active storm pattern developing and hanging around for most of the season over the eastern half of the country."

January Storms

January looks like it'll be a repeat of December with lots of snow across the eastern two-thirds of the country followed by what is being predicted as 'one of the coldest outbreaks of arctic air seen in several years.' How cold? The Farmer's Almanac says the middle of January could be 40 degrees below zero.

The good news is February looks to be a bit warmer with milder temperatures that should make winter seem more bearable. But don't get too comfortable. March is expected to have a lion-like end.

There should be a wide variety of weather conditions, ranging from heavy snows to torrents of rain to gusty thunderstorms across much of the nation.

Whatever winter holds, we're hardy Central New Yorkers and can handle anything Mother Nature has in store this season. If we can survive Stella, we can survive anything. We'll just stock up on sweaters, has up the snowmobiles, and wax up the skis. Bring on the snow.

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