SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The temperature has begun to drop, rain has turned to snow, and the winds have started to howl.

After a somewhat rainy, but relatively warm Sunday -- the high temperature reached 51 degrees at 1:56 p.m. in Syracuse -- a cold front has begun to move into Central New York.

By 11 p.m., the temperature had dipped to 33 degrees and winds were whipping at around 35 mph, with gusts as high as 48 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Over the last couple hours, Onondaga County 911 dispatchers have received a handful of weather-related calls -- from a tree that toppled wires on Sabine Street in Syracuse to sparking, low-hanging wires at the Liverpool bypass and Oswego Road in Liverpool. Another tree also fell on Fly Road in DeWitt, causing downed wires. And in Syracuse, firefighters had to briefly close part of North Townsend Street after scaffolding on a building fell and pulled wires down, 911 dispatchers said.

More than 3,600 National Grid customers in the Syracuse area were in the dark after the first round of the storm struck Central New York. The majority of the power outages were quickly restored, according to the National Grid outage map.

The storm is only expected to get worse by morning.

“This is probably a-once-in-a-five-year event in northern and western part of Central New York,” said David J. Nicosia, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

The temperature is expected to continue to drop to around 24 degrees by Monday morning. At the same time, 30 mph to 40 mph winds -- with gusts around 60 mph to 70 mph -- and a few inches of lake effect snow are possible throughout Upstate New York.

The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning until 7 p.m. Monday for Central New York.

The strongest winds are expected between 7 and 11 a.m. Monday in Syracuse, National Weather Service meteorologist Lily Chapman said.

Although the wind is expected not to be as intense as the day goes on Monday, wind gusts could still reach 45 mph Monday evening in Syracuse, Chapman said.

Fierce winds “will blow down trees and power lines,” according to the high wind warning. “Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.”

Blinding snow is possible in northern Onondaga, Oneida and Oswego counties, Chapman said.

“It will be windy and in areas of blowing snow, there will be reduced visibility,” she said.

The National Weather Service issued a “blizzard warning” for parts of Oneida, Oswego, Lewis and Jefferson counties.

“Travel will be nearly impossible at times,” the weather service warned. “Areas of severe blowing snow will produce whiteout conditions at times. The hazardous conditions will impact the Monday morning commute.”

In Oswego County, Sheriff Don Hilton issued a travel advisory for all of Oswego County at 6 p.m. Sunday. Those who live and work in the county are asked not to travel during the storm.

“No unnecessary travel is recommended,” the sheriff said.

Several flights at Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport were delayed or canceled Sunday night and Monday morning as winds picked up.

Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry also canceled Monday morning classes in anticipation of the intense winds.

Earlier Sunday, the storm crashed western New York. Wind gusts hit 74 mph at the Niagara Falls Airport at 2:14 p.m.; 69 mph at Buffalo Airport at 3:17 p.m.; and 69 mph in Batavia at 3:05 p.m.

The weather service reported numerous trees down in Erie, Monroe and Niagara counties.

A Rent-A-Center store in Niagara Falls suffered roof and structural damage Sunday afternoon. The University of Buffalo bookstore in Amherst also had “significant roof damage," according to the weather service.

More than 64,000 homes and businesses were without power at one point Sunday. The majority of the outages were in Erie and Niagara counties.

Before the storm reached Central New York, more than 3,250 National Grid employees were mobilized in preparation. The utility company asks if a power outage occurs that customers notify them online at ngrid.com/report. But if there are downed power lines, customers should immediately call National Grid at (800) 867-5222 or 911.