New York City was bracing for up to 28 inches of snow during what experts warned would be a “blockbuster blizzard’’ — complete with thunder and lightning — and possibly one of the 10 worst winter storms in its history.
As much as 2 inches of snow per hour was falling on Sunday night, with the Big Apple set to see 14 inches across the boroughs and some areas forecasted to be hit with double the amount, city officials warned
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“New York has not faced a storm of this scale in the last decade,” Mamdani told reporters Sunday — adding it was shaping up to be one of the top 10 worst in Big Apple history.
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“This will be a blockbuster blizzard, with some of the most extreme snowstorm impacts people in the Northeast have seen in years,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dan Pydynowski told The Post.
“In the heaviest snow bands, there can be thunder and lightning with snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour, overwhelming plow crews and mak[ing] it nearly impossible to keep roads passable.”
The storm, peaking Sunday 5 p.m., could dump 2-4 inches/hour with thunder and lightning. Getty Images
Forecasters also warned of even higher amounts hitting Long Island and other parts of the tri-state area.
By 9:30 p.m. Sunday, 9 inches of snow had already buried parts of New Jersey, and 8 inches had piled up in Suffolk County, Long Island, according to Pydynowski’s colleague and fellow AccuWeather meteorologist Dan DePodwin.
Flakes will continue to fall moderately from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Monday after the heaviest of snow overnight begins to taper off.
By 1 p.m., most of the accumulation in the Big Apple is slated to stop, DePodwin said.
Mayor Mamdani warns against shoveling heavy snow; this winter could be top 20 ever. Michael Nigro for NY Post
The storm was expected to bring strong gusts of more than 60 mph, too, creating hazardous whiteout conditions in southeast New England, eastern Long Island, and southern New Jersey.
“The winds will continue to pick up overnight. We expect gusts of upwards of 40 miles per hour in New York City, and then could gust to 60 miles per hour out on Long Island,” DePodwin said.
“That will cause blizzard conditions at times,” he warned.
The powerful winds also threatened to disrupt power for millions of residents in the region.
“While we’re expecting similar or greater amounts from what we saw during Winter Storm Fern, the consistency of this snow will be very different,” Pydynowski said.
“This snow will be a lot wetter and heavier than what we’ve seen in recent years, which is going to make it difficult to remove the snow,” he continued.
Mayor Mamdani warns against shoveling heavy snow; this winter could be top 20 ever. ZUMAPRESS.com
Mamdani specifically warned New Yorkers not to shovel the snow if things get too heavy due to the wet conditions.
“Please exercise caution when clearing out vehicles and paths,” the mayor said.
DePodwin added that those who are concerned about their ability to shovel their properties should enlist help from others.
“Make sure you have someone help you shovel it, because that’s unfortunately what we see a lot of issues, heart attacks, as well as back strains that occur when people shovel this very heavy snow,” he said.
The storm was also expected to shut down travel in the Northeast, with more than 6,000 flights cancelled through Monday and major cities and counties issuing travel bans for Sunday night.
“Don’t travel unless you absolutely have to. It’s always good to charge your different devices in case you lose power. That’s especially true in places that are on the coast who are going to have the strongest wind gusts,” DePodwin said.
The powerful winds also threatened to disrupt power for millions of residents in the region. Michael Nigro for NY Post
As of Sunday night, John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens led the pack with 742 cancellations, according to data from FlightAware.
Battling it out for second and third place were LaGuardia Airport, with 561 flights canceled, in Queens, and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, where 471 flights have been canceled.
New York City issued its own road travel ban to go into effect at 9 p.m. Sunday. Mamdani said the ban would “not be about enforcement,” leaving it unclear just how effective the order will be.
The ban will be lifted by noon on Monday and will only permit “essential and emergency travel” overnight.
Its subway service was disrupted, too — and the Long Island Rail Road being completely shut down Monday, the MTA said.
The agency said it was going to be cutting back its LIRR service at 7 p.m. Sunday, reducing it to hourly on the Port Jefferson and Port Washington branches — and half-hourly on the Babylon Branch.
The ban will be lifted by noon on Monday and will only permit “essential and emergency travel” overnight. Getty Images
Metro-North would meanwhile be operating on a holiday schedule Monday, with weekend schedules in place on the branch lines..
The New York City subways were to continue running through the storm but on modified service, with express service primarily operating on local tracks.
Starting Sunday night, modified service was also going in effect in the Rockaways, with shuttle trains running between Euclid Avenue and the Rockaways and serving all stations.
The Staten Island Railway was to run a weekend schedule Monday.
Bus service was also being scaled down depending on local road conditions.
The MTA urged riders to check the status of their routes before leaving the house at its website.
The Staten Island Ferry service was also suspended at 5 p.m. Sunday.
To prepare for the storm, more than 2,200 plows were mobilized, Mamdani told reporters — boasting that his Sanitation Department was deploying the largest snow removal operation in the country.
The number of snow shovelers available has also increased from 500 during the last storm to 1,400, with 300 diggers starting overnight, the mayor added.
A tow-truck task force and also a downed-tree task force were on standby to deal with any problems as they come, interim city Emergency Management Commissioner Christina Farrell said.
This winter’s total snowfall in New York City looks set to be in the top 20 ever recorded in a season, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Pollina.
Since Dec. 1, 22.3 inches of snow have been recorded at Central Park.
If the forecasted 28 inches in the upcoming storm comes, it will push the seasonal total to 50.3 inches.
As of Sunday afternoon, a total of 11 states had issued blizzard warnings for more than 40 million people.
All of Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island were under a full blizzard advisories, with others, like New York, declaring states of emergencies and activating their National Guard.