Get ready, Tri-State Area, because there's a major snowstorm headed this way starting tomorrow at 4 a.m. and lasting into Saturday. What makes Winter Storm Nemo even worse is that strong winds and pounding rain are predicted to be mixed in, as well, making for one treacherous, wintry mix. What initially started as an accumulation range of 2.6 to 29.3 inches of snow for New York City has now been pared down to 6 to 12 inches throughout the New York/New Jersey area. The heaviest snow is expected Friday night into Saturday morning.
It's believed that the storm will start with a light rain and snow, change over to rain, then turn into heavy rain and snow from early Friday afternoon into the night. Although the rain will taper off, snow will continue into Saturday. Wind gusts are expected up to 50 mph. A Blizzard Watch has been issued for parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts, as well as the eastern tip of Long Island, while a Winter Storm Watch has been issued for New York and New Jersey.
The Friday high temperature in New York City is expected to be 37 degrees with a low of 26, while Saturday, the temperature takes a dive, with a high of only 30 degrees and a low of 14.
New York Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty assures that they're all set for the storm. During a press conference with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Doherty stated, "We'll be salting as soon as the roads turn white. I expect tomorrow night when it starts to come down, we'll be out plowing. There is an off chance that we could be plowing tomorrow morning if the temperature doesn't rise early enough, but we're prepared for that. We will be ready with our plows and our salt spreaders. We've started going around the clock already with our operation."
A snow alert has been declared for 4 a.m. Friday morning, and starting at 7 p.m. tomorrow, sanitation workers will begin 12-hour shifts to keep the 6,300 miles of roads in the city clear.
Residents can now check plow progress in real time, thanks to GPS tracking in each of the trucks. Enter in the address, street name, and borough through PlowNYC for up to date information.