Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday urged New Yorkers to be prepared as a winter storm is forecasted to produce up to a foot of snow in areas north of New York City starting late Saturday and continuing through Sunday. Most locations in the Mid-Hudson, Southern Tier, Capital, Central New York, and Finger Lakes regions are expected to receive mostly snow from the weather system, while some places in the NYC Metro area could receive up to two inches of rain, as well as a wintry mix of snow and sleet through Sunday afternoon. The worst weather conditions are expected to begin late Saturday night and continue into Sunday morning for some locations. Governor Hochul urged New Yorkers to continue to track the storm over the weekend and make plans now to ensure their safety throughout the storm, including adjusting travel plans if necessary and preparing for possible power outages.
“New Yorkers are no strangers to snow, but it’s always important to be prepared and to know how to safely handle incoming weather,” Governor Hochul said. “I urge everyone to pay attention to their local forecast and to plan travel accordingly.”
Snow totals could reach up to a foot in the Mid-Hudson and Capital Regions with potentially higher totals in parts of the Catskills. Approximately 6-8” of snow is expected for eastern parts of the Southern Tier and parts of the Mohawk Valley, and 2-6” of snow is predicted to fall in Central NY, Finger Lakes, and parts of the North Country. Peak snowfall rates could reach 1-2” per hour during the overnight Saturday into Sunday.
For a complete listing of weather alerts and forecasts, visit the National Weather Service website at https://alerts.weather.gov. New Yorkers are also encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts by subscribing to NY Alert at https://alert.ny.gov, a free service providing critical emergency information to your cell phone or computer.
Agency Activities
New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
The Division is actively monitoring the weather forecast and coordinating the State’s response to the weather event. Office of Emergency Management staff are in contact with local counterparts and are prepared to facilitate requests for assistance. The Division is prepared to deploy emergency response assets and shelter supplies from the State’s stockpiles.
New York State Department of Transportation
The State Department of Transportation is monitoring weather conditions and prepared to respond with 3,692 supervisors and operators available statewide. All residency locations will remain staffed for 24/7 operation throughout the duration of the event and priority cleanup operations. All available snow and ice equipment is ready to deploy. Fleet mechanics in affected areas will be staffing all main residency locations 24/7 to perform repairs and keep trucks on the road.
Statewide equipment numbers are as follows:
- 1,617 large plow trucks
- 149 medium duty plows
- 52 tow plows
- 343 large loaders
- 36 snow blowers
For real-time travel information, motorists should call 511 or visit https://www.511ny.org/ or the mobile site at m.511ny.org, New York State’s official traffic and travel information source.
Thruway Authority
Thruway Authority maintenance facilities will be staffed around the clock and ready to respond with 700 plow operators and supervisors statewide. The Thruway Authority is deploying staff and equipment from its Buffalo Division to support snow and ice operations in the Mid-Hudson Valley region. Deployed resources include large plow trucks and plow operators. Additional resources are on standby and ready to shift as needed. In addition, impacted regions will have Emergency Operation Centers (EOC) open for the duration of the storm.
- 357 large and medium-duty plow trucks
- 11 tow plows
- 67 loaders
- More than 126,000 tons of salt on hand
Variable Message Signs and social media are utilized to alert motorists of winter weather conditions on the Thruway.
