Bitter late than never, & thank you bury much
SNOW TOTAL
NOT SO fast.
Just when you thought it was safe to stow your shovels, a latewinter blizzard was set to belt the city with as much as 18 inches of snow.
The storm is expected to start late Monday night and continue through Tuesday, burying the Big Apple in what’s likely to be the season’s biggest snow blitz.
The state Emergency Operations Center will be activated Monday evening, Gov. Cuomo said Sunday.
“We are closely monitoring this storm as it develops, and I am directing all state agencies to be on alert and ready to respond as the weather develops,” he said.
“The state will be proactively deploying resources to potentially impacted regions to stay ahead of the storm and keep New Yorkers safe. I encourage all New Yorkers in affected regions to plan ahead and avoid any unnecessary travel as the storm progresses.”
A blizzard watch was in effect for New York City, as well as Long Island and parts of the Hudson Valley for Monday night through Tuesday night.
The nor’easter, expected to intensify Tuesday morning, is predicted to drop at least a foot of snow, and possibly as much as a foot and a half.
Blizzard-like conditions are forecast for the Tuesday morning commute, with sustained winds of 30 mph, low visibility and minor to moderate coastal flooding.
The city Sanitation Department issued a snow alert and prepared plows and salt spreaders to operate across the city, where alternate-side parking will be suspended.
“This would certainly be the biggest snowstorm of the 2017 winter season in New York City,” said Faye Barthold, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
That’s still less than last year’s, a January mess that dumped a record 27.5 inches.
The city has issued a Code Blue for homeless people, meaning no one will be turned away from city shelters, and outreach workers will comb the streets, encouraging them to come in from the cold.
The impending storm is catching some New Yorkers off guard, especially after a few days recently of springlike weather.
“I’m not happy, not happy at all,” said Kristen Cook, 25, of the East Village. “I felt like it had already turned to spring because it’s been so mild . . . . It has been so nice recently, so I guess this is what we get in return. It’s payback.”
But Natalie Davitadi, 30, who lives in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, but is originally from Siberia, says all this weather watching has snowballed out of control.
“It’s kind of a drastic temperature change, but I think New Yorkers freak out too much about the snow,” Davitadi said. “It’s nature, anything can happen.”