In the midst of “near-blizzard” situations, the giant winter storm hitting the Northeast could drop up to 18 inches on New York City and as much as two feet in some nearby areas, forecasters say.
According to Accuweather senior meteorologist Michael LeSeney, approximately 3 to 6 inches of snow had already fallen around the tri-state area at about 6 a.m.
The forecaster said that in total, about 12 and 18 inches could fall on the Big Apple, and up to two feet further inland across areas of New Jersey and the Hudson Valley.
Whether this storm would set some records is not yet clear, but “it’s always possible, particularly when we’re talking around two feet of snow,” he said.
“That’s all going to depend on the weather conditions as this storm sets up,” LeSeney said.
“We’re talking about maybe a 50-mile gap. 50 miles is nothing for weather systems the scale of what we’re dealing with. But for New York City, the gap between 12 and 18 and 2 feet could mean 50 miles.”
The “prolonged snow event” would cover Monday and most of Tuesday during the day, LeSeney said. The heaviest snow is expected at 7 a.m and 7 p.m. Monday.
Temperatures will sit just below or near zero during the entire storm, but it will feel much colder because of the wind chill, LeSeney said. With winds blowing up to 50 miles per hour at their height, New Yorkers should expect blustery weather.
“Today’s snow and wind combine to create for us a real messy winter pattern,” LeSeney said.
Near-blizzard conditions, poor visibility, blowing snow, the risk is that power outages would occur, and coastal flooding may also occur at times of high tide. Thanks to this storm, we have a host of issues across the tri-state region.
Because of the blowing snow, white-out conditions are expected, making area roads, according to LeSeney, “treacherous.”
