Christmas Eve is 10 days away, which means that many people across New York state will soon be trying to get their last minute holiday shopping done, before it's too late; whether it's in-person shopping or online, which means Amazon, UPS and FedEx drivers will be busy.

The weather has been colder this December and late November than years past. It really does feel like we have seen cooler temperatures so far this holiday season.

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That trend continues and then some this Thursday and through Sunday, even into early next week, as temperatures will feel more like January out there.

We also have new winter weather alerts, which indicate intense snowfall is on the way.

The National Weather Service has issued a massive number of Winter Storm Watches and Winter Storm Warnings for counties across New York state.

Western New York will be under a Winter Storm Watch from late Friday night through Sunday morning, with some extending into Tuesday.

Nine inches or more of snow is expected.

However, for those east off Lake Ontario and in areas upstate and the northern sections of New York State, there's a Winter Storm Warning.

Those regions could see anywhere from 7-18 plus inches of snow is possible. The winds across the entire state will also be harsh, gusting anywhere from 20-35 mph. That along with the heavy snow will make travel difficult to impossible, according to the National Weather Service.

While Friday and Saturday appears to be the worst of the snowfall, especially the lake effect snow that will fall off Lake Erie and Lake Ontario on Saturday.

If you don't have to travel, it's best to stay home and try to stay safe while crews work hard to clean up the roadways.

Ten Top Snow Tubing Places in Upstate New York

Back in the day, the closest we came to snow tubing was hopping on a bent and dinged silver metal "saucer" and then throwing ourselves hurtling down a snowy (and rocky) hill. It was fun, but....ouch!

Today's snow tubers have it made. Groomed snow lanes and conveyor lifts to catch a ride back to the top of the hill. And no rocks! All of this has made snow tubing in Upstate New York one of the fastest-growing winter activities for families of all ages.

While keeping in mind that almost every ski resort in the state now offers snow tubing, here are ten you really should check out.

So, throw that old saucer away and head for the snow tube trails!

WOW!! All Aboard! Look At The Transformation of These 12 Historic Upstate New York Train Stations

A century ago it seemed that every small town and village had a railroad coming through it and a train depot to welcome it. Today there are far fewer train depots still standing from the glory years of American railroad history. But there are some, and they have been transformed into everything from restaurants to museums. Here are 12 of the best.

Here Are the 10 Snowiest Places in Upstate New York!

This list shows the Top Ten Snowiest Communities in New York State. Some of the numbers these places put up are incredible! The regions stick mainly to the perennially snowiest places we are familiar with such as the North Country, Adirondacks, Western New York, and the Tug Hill Plateau.

There are several online places that list the "snowiest places in New York State." Surprisingly, they all have different rankings and all use different data. So we decided to use the New York State Ski Blog as our source. Thousands of skiers rely on this site for accurate weather conditions around the state. So we did too.

FYI...since the winter of 2022 is definitely not over these statistics are for last year. We have no doubt that the rankings will change next year. I mean, have you seen the photos coming out of western New York recently? WOW!

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