Syracuse, N.Y. -- The forecast for the Thanksgiving weekend for Central New York just keeps getting worse for travelers.

The National Weather Service has now upgraded the region to a lake effect snow warning, the most severe alert, from 1 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday.

“Heavy lake effect snow is expected, (with) total snow accumulations between 7 and 15 inches,” the warning said . “Winds gusting as high as 40 mph will produce blowing and drifting snow.”

The latest warning applies to Madison, Oneida and Onondaga counties. Similar warnings had already been posted for more than a dozen counties in Western New York and the North Country.

One big caveat: Lake effect snow falls in narrow bands, and even a slight shift in wind direction can mean the difference between getting dusted or

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