Another Heavy Sigh

Issued by The National Weather Service
New York City, NY
4:52 pm EST, Thu., Feb. 25, 2010

... WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EST SATURDAY...

THE WINTER STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EST SATURDAY.

SNOW WILL CONTINUE... HEAVY AT TIMES... INTO FRIDAY MORNING. THE SNOW WILL THEN GRADUALLY BECOME LESS STEADY AND LIGHTER INTO FRIDAY NIGHT... BEFORE TAPERING OFF TO LIGHT SNOW OR SNOW SHOWERS ON SATURDAY.

FOR NOW EXPECT ACCUMULATIONS TO RANGE FROM 15 TO 20 INCHES... WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE... ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF ORANGE... PASSAIC... AND BERGEN COUNTIES THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING.

THE HEAVY WET SNOW WILL LIKELY BE SUFFICIENT TO BRING DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW... SLEET... AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.

Tri-State Area Gets Another Pow from Mother Nature


TRENTON, N.J. (AP/ 1010 WINS) -- Intensifying snow is making for difficult travel conditions in the Tri-State area late Thursday night, with more roads becoming snow covered and slippery.

The snowfall from this sloppy storm is expected to become steadier and heavier overnight before eventually tapering
to snow showers later Friday.

Police confirm what is thought to be this storm's first weather related death.


Central Park tree branch that struck and killed man.
(Photo:Carol D'Auria)
A 56-year-old man died when he was struck by a falling tree
branch as he was walking in Central Park at E. 67th Street and
Fifth Ave before 3:30 p.m. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The New York City Parks Dept. is advising people to avoid public parks this evening and use caution near street trees.

The region's airports are currently experiencing major delays, so customers are being advised to call their carrier for
specific flight information.

The MTA says all subways, buses, railroads and bridges & tunnels will be operating normally throughout the evening. A near-normal morning rush hour is anticipated for Friday, according to the MTA.

Metro-North says Thursday's evening commute went smoothly because many customers left work early. However, with the snow continuing overnight, Metro-North expects fewer customers Friday and will reduce trains by about two dozen. Riders should anticipate delays up to 15 minutes for Friday morning's commute.

Many locations in the Tri-State will endure gusts topping 50 mph at some point Thursday to Friday.


Wet snow weighing down trees would make it more likely for strong winds to knock them down. And power will probably be hardest to restore in areas where heavy snow keeps repair crews at bay.

New Jersey is battling outages as nearly 4,500 utility customers are without electric power. That number is expected to rise during the overnight hours as the storm intensifies.

A number of outages have been reported by Con Edison in the five boroughs, with over 400 customers being affected in Brooklyn. Over 11,000 customers are without power in Westchester, according to Con Edison.

A winter storm warning is in effect until 6 p.m. Friday.

AccuWeather says as much as a foot or two of snow may be possible, especially north and west of New York City.

Total snow accumulations for New York City are expected to be in the range of 6-12 inches. One to two feet will fall north and west of 287. Some areas, including Eastern Long Island, could see less accumulation, according to AccuWeather.


New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says officials expect the snowfall will be manageable enough to keep public schools open Friday.

The mayor said if conditions are worse than predicted and schools must be closed, parents will be notified as soon as the decision is made.

Despite the blizzards that pounded the eastern seaboard earlier this year, this storm may be the worst one to take aim at the region this winter, according to AccuWeather.

High winds, heavy snow and torrential rains may lead to extensive damage and impact on travel.

New Jersey's Transportation Department spokesman Joe Dee says about 550 plows and spreaders have been deployed and will be monitoring road conditions. Well over 1,000 are in reserve.