Nor’easter prompts N.Y. Gov. Hochul to declare emergency, urges no travel Tuesday
New York City was expected to get about an inch of snow Tuesday as a nor’easter bears down on the tristate area and beyond.
Forecasters said the storm could bring feet of snow, wind gusts exceeding 55 mph and widespread power outages from Pennsylvania to New England into the middle of the week.
Gov. Hochul declared a state of emergency starting Monday night, activated the National Guard and urged New York residents to prepare, especially upstate.
Snow and rain were already falling Monday afternoon, with some areas slated to get 2 or more feet and coastal areas warned about potential flooding.
The snow’s heaviness combined with gusty winds threatened widespread power outages and hazardous travel conditions, especially from Monday evening through Wednesday morning, Hochul’s office said, adding that on Tuesday, visibility would be “extremely limited” and people should avoid unnecessary travel.
“This could be deadly,” Hochul warned at a storm briefing in Albany. “Let me repeat: This will be a dangerous storm. Please stay off the roads for your own safety.”
The state of emergency will start at 8 p.m. Monday and include commercial travel restrictions along several interstate highways.
“The forecasted snow totals for this winter storm keep increasing, and the weight of the snow combined with 45 mph wind gusts will almost certainly bring down tree branches and power lines,” said Jackie Bray, commissioner of the state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. “New Yorkers should plan for two to three days straight of hazardous winter weather starting tonight.”
Anywhere from 6 to 18 inches of snow were expected to blanket terrain from northeast Pennsylvania and the far northwest of New Jersey before passing through much of New York State and New England, according to the National Weather Service.
“The combination of high winds and snowfall rates of as high as 2 to 3 inches per hour will make for dangerous to impossible travel conditions during the day on Tuesday,” the NWS stated.
Connecticut also braced for impact.
Winter storm watches were issued for the northern part of the state, with rain expected to switch to snow at higher elevations around midnight Monday. The state government warned of potential power outages and said that 1 to 2 inches of snow were expected to fall hourly at times throughout Tuesday.
The state’s biggest supplier of electricity, Eversource, was anticipating up to 13,000 power outages and brought in extra crews from out of state.
Southern Fairfield and New Haven counties were under an NWS coastal flood advisory, the agency said, as were areas of southern Long Island in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Also under a flood advisory were coastal areas of the Bronx, Northern Nassau County, northern Queens, northwest Suffolk and southern Westchester.
Meanwhile, another atmospheric river was taking aim at California, and the South and Southeast were under freeze warnings despite a record warm winter, the NWS said. The potential “hard freeze” was predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday morning from the Tennessee Valley into portions of the South and Southeast.
“Freeze warnings are currently in effect across these regions where recent above-average temperatures have accelerated the spring growth cycle,” the NWS stated.
With News Wire Services
