This weekend's snowstorm - labeled "historic" by the National Weather Service - left hundreds of thousands of people without power and streets looking like war zones. Luckily, official weather reports show no more freak storms slated for Western New York in the near future.
According to Steve McLaughlin, senior forecaster for the Buffalo NWS Office, the region will soon see a "return to October."
"We can expect rain Monday night into Tuesday, and then Wednesday looks dry and warm," he said on Sunday, stating that the severity of the rain couldn't be predicted until Monday morning.
"It won't snow though, I guarantee that," he said.
As of Sunday, a flood watch was in effect until 6 p.m. for Niagara, Orleans, Northern Erie and Genesee Counties due to melting snow and drain blockage from downed trees and debris.
According to McLaughlin, some flooding has already occurred but conditions should improve by the beginning of the week.
"There could be some localized flooding into (Monday) morning," he said. "We have to watch out for rain (Monday) night, mostly in Amherst and Ellicott Creek."
A hazardous weather outlook released by the NWS also stated that local creeks and rivers will continue to run high, and basement flooding is a possibility for areas without power.
The storm, which began Thursday and left nearly two feet of heavy packing snow on the ground, was fueled by Lake Erie's 62-degree waters, according to The Buffalo News. A southwest wind then directed the storm towards Buffalo and the northern suburbs, where it stayed for 16 hours.
According to the NWS, the storm was the sixth-biggest snowfall ever to grace Buffalo within a 24-hour period.
