Coastal Storm Eyes NY: Up to a Foot of Snow Possible for Some, Heavy Rain for Others

A developing coastal storm is expected to slam the New York area with a wintry wallop of snow, ice and rain late Thursday into Friday night, potentially burying parts of the Hudson Valley under up to 8 inches of the white stuff and inundating others with flooding downpours.

Those far to the west of the city could see flakes start earlier in the day Thursday, but the bulk of the volatile system, which just blasted the south and Midwest, is expected to arrive in the metro area in the afternoon and evening hours.

As was the case with the storm earlier in the week, coastal areas and spots in and around New York City will stay above the freezing mark and can expect mainly rain, about 1-2 inches of it, through Friday afternoon. Coastal flooding is a concern, though snow and ice accumulation north and west of the city are the bigger threats with this system.

The northern end of the Hudson Valley could see 6 to 8 inches of snow, while the higher elevations can expect a foot or more. Wind gusts up to 50 mph, with sustained winds around 20 to 30 mph, compound the threat.

Because of the extended duration of the snowfall (Thursday through Friday night) accumulations close to a foot or even more are possible, especially further north or west of the city. In the northwestern part of New Jersey and in the Hudson Valley, anywhere from 3-8 inches can be expected. Snowfall and ice accumulation are the great concerns.

The greatest snow totals are likely to be found at higher elevations in the Poconos and Catskills, but we could see parts of the Hudson Valley pushing past 6 inches of snow, too.

Winter storm warnings are in effect for Sullivan and western Ulster counties in New York, as well as Pennsylvania’s Pike County through Friday afternoon.

A winter storm watch has been issued for Orange County in New York. New Jersey’s Sussex and Warren counties, as well as part of Passaic County and the eastern portion of NY’s Ulster County, are under winter weather advisories. Any of those areas could see snow accumulations ranging from 0-6 inches, depending on location and elevation.

Additional advisories, watches and warnings are expected from the National Weather Service later Thursday. Check the latest weather alerts for your neighborhood here.

Locally, a few snow showers may linger north and west on Saturday morning, but the storm will be mostly done by then, leaving chilly weather through the weekend. Some flurries are still possible north and west to start Saturday.

Temperatures will struggle to make it out of the upper 30s and low 40s as Hanukkah begins on Sunday — and they’ll stay that way for much of next week.

Elsewhere in the U.S., the huge storm system delivered blizzard-like conditions to the Great Plains and was expected to push more snow and ice into the northeast. Residents from West Virginia to Vermont have been told to watch for a possible significant mix of snow, ice and sleet. The wintry blast dumped more than 2 feet of snow in parts of South Dakota and was part of the vast and volatile system ripping across the U.S. that killed three people in Louisiana.