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Slick roads and icy winds for a 1st taste of winter

If this was the middle of winter, Friday morning’s conditions wouldn’t be much of shock to the system; just a bit of snow overnight, and bitterly cold weather.

But it is the first taste of winter for the Rochester area this season and that means extra caution is advised on area roads and highways. Temperatures fell rapidly overnight, into the 20s, and some lake effect snow brought a dusting to an inch or two in many spots.

The rapid freeze following some rain showers has also made driving tricky in many areas; even with the salt and sand trucks out, it takes a while for that material to build up during the winter, so area police and highway crews advise you plan on extra driving time on Friday.

There were already a number of fender benders on area roadways early Friday morning.

The wind advisory has been dropped, but it is still very breezy with gusts up to 36mph possible on Friday. That, combined with temperatures in the upper 20s at best, will drop wind chills down into the single numbers at times.  A lakeshore flood warning was also canceled.

However there will be some sun later in the day. Saturday will see highs in the 30s, and Sunday, the temperature will be in the 40s

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.