Winter storm warnings issued as major snow storm takes aim at NYC
New Yorkers were battening down on Saturday for what is expected to be the first major winter storm of 2024, forecast to dump a snowy mix on the Big Apple and beyond through the weekend.
It’s been nearly two years since New York has seen more than an inch of snow in a 24-hour time span. While it’s a near certainty the city will be hit with at least some snow, whether it will break its nearly snowless streak depends on small nuances in the storm’s track. Much of the greater New York City area is right along the storm’s rain-snow line, with meteorologists noting temperatures have been warmer in the area than expected.
Forecasters have warned that there’s potential for moderate to heavy amounts of snow in several major Northeast cities, though those along and east of Interstate 95 — including New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. — should expect a wintry mess of snow, sleet and rain instead. The precipitation is slated to hit NYC late Saturday afternoon, potentially dropping 1 to 2 inches of slushy, wet snow before changing to rain overnight, the National Weather Service said in its latest update.
“This looks to be a sharp gradation in snow accumulation around the New York City metro area with little or no snow in eastern Brooklyn and Queens with 1 to 3 inches in Manhattan, where the best chance of inches is on the upper end of Manhattan and the Bronx,” AccuWeather Meteorologist and 10-10 Wins Radio Personality Dean DeVore said.
The storm is far from the Winter Wonderland some city-dwellers had been hoping for and, while there will be little snow, forecasters said it will likely result in dangerous travel conditions Saturday night into Sunday afternoon. Heavy winds and flooding are also expected in some areas, including Long Island and the Long Island Sound.
“While there is uncertainty about total accumulations, State agencies and resources are being readied for heavy, wet snow bringing potentially hazardous travel and power outages,” the New York Department of Transportation said in a tweet.
The heaviest snow, meanwhile, is expected in parts of the Central Appalachians, the interior Mid-Atlantic and into New England.
