New York City finds itself under a blizzard warning as forecasters expect a massive nor’easter to hit the Big Apple Sunday night into Monday — bringing high winds and plenty of snow.
The National Weather Service issued the warning early Saturday morning as confidence among forecasters grows that the city will be walloped by a winter storm that could produce a foot of snow or more.
The Sanitation Department is once again mobilizing its fleet of salt spreaders and snow plows in advance of the storm. Preparation operations throughout city government are underway, according to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is expected to outline further details at a press conference Saturday afternoon.
The preparations include sending “safety outreach teams” on rotating 12-hour shifts to get homeless individuals out of the cold and into shelter. The Jan. 25 snowstorm and bitter cold snap that followed resulted in 20 deaths, leading to questions and criticism about the city’s outreach efforts.
In a statement Saturday morning, Mamdani advised New Yorkers to heed travel warnings during the height of the storm Sunday night into Monday morning: “Stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. If you can stay home, stay home.”
The storm could also jeopardize the return to class on Monday for New York City public and private school students who have been off the past week for mid-winter recess. The Jan. 25 snowstorm forced all public schools to go to virtual learning the next day, with in-person instruction resuming on Jan. 27.
The blizzard warning runs from 6 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, through 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23. The warning is issued when a winter storm is expected to produce heavy snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour combined with sustained winds of 25 mph, a situation that would reduce visibility to 1/4 mile or less at times.
Forecasters with the NWS say the storm is expected to arrive Sunday and last through Monday. The heaviest snow will fall between Sunday night and Monday morning; snowfall rates during that period could exceed 2 inches per hour.
Peak winds during the storm will be between 30 to 35 mph; gusts of up to 55 mph are also possible. Travel during the height of the anticipated blizzard will be “dangerous, if not impossible,” the NWS warned. Power outages in areas with overhead utility wires are also likely.
All told, the NWS predicts the five boroughs could see snowfall rates of between 13 and 18 inches, with higher amounts possible in some spots. Changes to the storm track could result in more or less snowfall totals.
There is a 10% chance snowfall rates could exceed 20 inches, according to the NWS.
The strong nor’easter will also bring “widespread minor to moderate coastal flood potential” along the shore from Sunday night into Monday morning during high tides.
A coastal flood watch has been issued for the Bronx and northern Queens for Monday from midnight to 5 a.m. The city’s Emergency Management department is expecting inundation of between 1.5 and 2.5 feet above ground level, with minor flooding of shore roads and properties possible.
