Local, county and state officials throughout our region are scrambling to stay ahead of a rapidly evolving snowfall that was originally predicted to yield just a few inches in New York City but is now likely to produce a 'life-threatening' blizzard that could dump as much as 20 inches on the five boroughs, Long Island, the Hudson Valley.
The weather system could also set off coastal flooding along the New Jersey shore as well as in New York City's Jamaica Bay, Staten Island and the Battery.
At 2 p.m., in New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency effective at noon on Feb. 22 for all 21 counties.
"Déjà vu all over again. Another brutal storm warning and a briefing we hope that many New Yorkers will listen to as we prepare for another descending cataclysmic weather event," Gov. Hochul said during her briefing. "It's time to brace for impact, New Yorkers. Two days ago we were expecting a run of the mill, just February storm, something we're used to handling, very accustomed to — just a little snow, maybe moderate disruption; really nothing to get too excited about.
Hochul continued. "But over the last 24 hours, this forecast has shifted dramatically. And, once again, New York State is in the crosshairs of a very dangerous, fast moving, potentially life-threatening winter storm. And literally in the last hour, we received word that it's even worse than we expected, and it is a rapidly deteriorating situation."
"We are now expecting between 13 and 17 inches of snow. But there is a slight chance we may see up to 20 inches, or even more. This means we are forecasted to receive up to 6 inches more than fell a few weeks ago," Mayor Mamdani told reporters. "New Yorkers can expect that the Monday morning commute will be extremely hazardous, with heavy snowfall and peak winds coinciding to create slippery conditions and greatly reduced visibility."
Forecasts predict light snow will begin to fall Sunday morning at 6:00 AM. The snow will intensify at around 6 p.m. Overnight, potential gale force winds as high as 60 MPH, will lead to whiteout and potentially life-threatening conditions for stranded travelers or those not sheltered.
Last month's snow storm and extended arctic vortex cost 18 New Yorkers their lives.
Once again, the labor intensive scramble to get New Yorkers indoors underscored the city's decades long failure to address the chronic homelessness crisis that's got more than 100,000 New Yorkers living in a shelter, with several thousand more living in the shadows.
It's on a scale not seen since the Great Depression.
Over a third of those in shelter are children and over two thirds were families.
According to the New York City Department of Education, 156,000 NYC school children, over ten percent of the student body, experienced homelessness at some point during the prior school year.
From 1996 until 2017, the city lost 1.1 million units of affordable housing amidst a boom in the luxury residential real estate market.
"To protect our homeless and most vulnerable New Yorkers, Code Blue operations will take effect once again, starting at 4:00 PM this afternoon," Mayor Mamdani said at Saturday's briefing. "That means our dedicated outreach teams will intensify their operations, traversing all five boroughs 24/7 to bring those most at risk inside.
"Let me be clear: no one will be denied shelter," Mayor Mamdani pledged. "We want every New Yorker who needs help seeking warmth to be able to find it. We will have 18 warming buses, 11 Health + Hospitals warming spaces, 13 school warming centers open across the city—and we are redeploying H+H mobile warming units to provide clinical support, socks, gloves and warm food."
Mayor Mamdani urged New Yorkers to sign up for NotifyNYC by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692 to stay informed on the latest forecast and conditions. You can also visit NYC.gov/BeReady for more information.
