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 on the East Coast for a late winter storm expected to arrive Sunday that could dump more than a foot of snow and bring wind gusts of more than 55 mph.
The blizzard warning for New York City is the first since 2017 and comes as parts of the city are still dotted with mounds of ice — leftovers from the previous major snowstorm nearly a month ago.
The National Weather Service increased its assessment of the storm’s severity, saying it predicted between 1 foot and 2 feet of snow for New York City, Long Island, southern Connecticut and coastal communities in New Jersey and Delaware. Flooding was also possible in parts of New York and New Jersey, the weather service said.
“Although we have a lot of these northeast winds that are producing heavy snow and impacts, it’s been several years since we’ve seen one of this magnitude over such a large region in this very 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 reach 20 inches. The blizzard warning takes effect at 6 a.m. Sunday and lasts until 6 p.m. Monday.
“We’re now expecting between 13 and 17 inches of snow, but there’s a slight chance we could see up to 20 inches or more,” Mamdani said, adding that efforts to get unhoused New Yorkers off the streets and into shelters would begin Saturday afternoon.
At least 19 people were found dead outside the city after temperatures plunged on January 19 and remained below freezing for 10 straight days. At least 15 of the victims are believed to have died of hypothermia.
Snell of the NWS said the storm would arrive Sunday morning in areas around Washington, D.C., before expanding toward Philadelphia and New York and reaching Boston late Monday evening.
The weather service warned that the storm would “make travel hazardous to impossible. Scattered downed tree branches and possible power outages due to snow load and high winds.”
As the blizzard’s arrival coincides with the start of the work week, Mamdani said he is asking New Yorkers “to stay indoors and stay off the roads for your safety. These conditions have the potential to be even more dangerous than what we faced 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 probably go on and on with a good 20 streets where we know we’re going to have water and there’s going to be snow on top of that,” said Scott Evans, the city’s fire chief and emergency management coordinator. “So you won’t be able to see him until it’s too late, so please stay home.”
