New York City gets first blizzard warning in nine years as area hunkers down | New York
Blizzard warnings were issued Saturday for New York City, New Jersey and coastal communities along the east coast for a late-winter storm that could dump more than a foot of snow and bring winds of more than 55 mph on Sunday.
The blizzard warning for New York City is the first since 2017 and comes as parts of the city are still covered with mounds of ice from the massive snowstorm nearly a month ago.
The National Weather Service raised its assessment of the storm’s severity, saying 1 ft to 2 ft of snow was expected for New York City, Long Island, southern Connecticut and coastal communities in New Jersey and Delaware. Flooding is also possible in parts of New York and New Jersey, the weather service said.
“While there are many of these Northeasts that produce heavy snowfall and strong blows, it has been several years since we have seen an event of this magnitude over such a large area in this populated part of the country,” said Cody Snell, a meteorologist with the service’s Weather Prediction Center.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference Saturday that the city could see up to 20 inches. The snowstorm warning will be in effect from 06:00 on Sunday and will last until 18:00 on Monday.
“We are currently expecting 13 to 17 inches of snow, but there is a small chance we could see 20 inches or more,” Mamdani said, adding that efforts to get homeless New Yorkers off the streets and into shelters would begin Saturday afternoon.
At least 19 people were found dead outdoors in the city on January 19 after temperatures dropped and remained below freezing for 10 consecutive days. At least 15 of the victims are believed to have died from hypothermia.
The storm will reach areas around Washington, D.C., on Sunday morning, then spread toward Philadelphia and New York City, reaching Boston late Monday evening, NWS’s Snell said.
The weather service warned that the storm “will make travel dangerous, if not impossible. Downed tree limbs and power outages will be possible due to snow loads and strong winds.”
With the snowstorm coinciding with the start of the new work week, Mamdani said he asked New Yorkers to “stay inside and stay off the roads for your safety.” “These have the potential to be much more dangerous conditions than what we encountered last time.”
On Saturday, officials in Atlantic City, New Jersey, urged residents and casino visitors to stay off the streets during the storm, especially in low-lying neighborhoods prone to flooding.
“I could go on and on about two dozen streets where we know we’re probably going to get water and snow on them,” said Scott Evans, the city’s fire chief and emergency management coordinator. “So you won’t see this until it’s too late, so please stay home.”
