A highly-anticipated winter storm is blowing into New York on Thursday, and the National Weather Service (NWS) has released a series of short-range forecast maps that show precipitation cover the area over the course of two days.
Maps issued late Wednesday night predict rain and snowfall in the state over 12-, 24-, 36- and 48-hour periods.
The series of maps track the massive storm moving in from the Mid-West, beginning as rain for nearly the entire state and then changing to snow upstate on Friday as it blows out of New York City.
Note: Rain is shown on maps in green, snow in blue.
THURSDAY AM MAP:
THURSDAY PM MAP:
FRIDAY AM MAP:
FRIDAY PM MAP:
WEATHER ALERTS IN EFFECT FOR NYC
A wind advisory was first issued Wednesday afternoon by the NWS for New York City and several other nearby counties as the massive winter storm prepared to blow into the area.
Effective from 10 p.m. Thursday until 10 p.m. Friday, the wind advisory warns of south winds from 20 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts up to 55 miles per hour expected.
The NWS says that the gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects, and that tree limbs could be blown down and some power outages could result.
Extra caution when driving is advised by the agency, especially if operating a high profile vehicle.
All five boroughs of New York City are included in the advisory.
The NWS additionally issued a coastal flood warning overnight that covers Staten Island, Brooklyn and Manhattan.
“There is potential for widespread minor to moderate flooding of vulnerable areas near the waterfront and shoreline, with up to 2 feet of inundation above ground level in low lying, vulnerable areas,” the alert reads. “This will result in numerous road closures and cause widespread flooding of low lying property including parking lots, parks, lawns and homes/businesses with basements near the waterfront. Vehicles parked in vulnerable areas near the waterfront will likely become flooded. Flooding will also extend inland from the waterfront along tidal rivers and bay.”
WINTER STORM FORECAST FOR NYC
The winter storm is forecast to move into the New York City area around noon on Thursday, beginning as rain.
On Thursday night the wind will kick up, with a meteorologist predicting it will become “exceptionally” windy.
Temperatures on Friday morning are expected to stay above freezing the city, but as the storm begins to pull away later in the day an “arctic blast” is expected, which will make thermometers plunge by up to 30 degrees.
By Saturday it should be clear but much colder, and forecasters believe the greatest cause for concern is possible black ice on the roadway overnight on Friday and into Saturday morning.
NY TRAVEL IMPACTS
Although the winter storm will largely be a rain event in New York City, forecasters do expect impacts for New Yorkers who hoped to travel for the holidays on Friday.
“If you’ve got flights going out of one of the few airports around the city there, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if there were major delays showing up early Friday,” said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, who added that major airports affected by snow in the Midwest could contribute to additional cancellations.
“You get that domino effect,” noted Kines, “where those flights get canceled in the Midwest which leads to cancellations in the East.”
Several airlines have offered travel waivers.
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