New York City to get blasted by snowstorm, arctic air

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on Jan 18, 2025

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NEW YORK — After days of balmy weather, New York City is slated to get buried in snow and then hit with an arctic blast expected to unleash a potentially life-threatening chill.

With a frigid polar vortex set to grip huge swaths of the U.S. in the coming days, the city could see anywhere between 3 and 5 inches of snow before the quick-moving but significant storm breaks up in the early hours of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The Lower Hudson Valley and parts of New Jersey could meanwhile get up to 8 inches while some higher elevation areas in northwest New Jersey and the Hudson Valley could see as much as a foot, the National Weather Service said.

There was little hint, however, of the impending snowstorm on Saturday, with scattered showers and highs peaking around 45 degrees. But that’s where the winter weather reprieve was set to come to an end.

“There is a clear cold weather pattern that’s hitting the city starting [Sunday] night and continuing through Wednesday,” Mayor Eric Adams said Saturday. “Mother Nature will do what she does all the time and it is unexpected but we will be prepared no matter what.”

The mayor said steps were already being taken to ready the city for the snow, including issuing Code Blue Weather Alerts to better protect the homeless and other vulnerable New Yorkers. He also urged residents to get ready for the cold and to take caution in the coming days.

“Cold temperatures [and] high winds tomorrow could be dangerous and we’re doing everything possible to protect New Yorkers,” Adams said.

Temperatures were expected to plummet in the early hours of Sunday, thanks to a wave of arctic air set to freeze much of the Northeast. While forecasters predicted the morning would start off in the mid-30s with a bit of sun, temps will dive toward the 20s as the day wears on, paving the way for some serious snow.

The flakes are forecast to begin falling in the early afternoon, picking up intensity as the day progresses before coming to a stop around 1 a.m. Monday. Meteorologists warned there will likely be enough accumulation to blanket sidewalks, snarl traffic and slow travel along much of the East Coast.

“We urge New Yorkers to take this storm seriously and prepare for hazardous travel conditions,” said New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “If you must travel, use mass transit if possible, and allow for extra time.”

The snowfall is set to be followed by a cold blast of air that will likely freeze any accumulation into place through next week. With a high of just 25 and a low reaching around 10 degrees on Monday, New York can expect to start off the week with its coldest weather yet this year.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are slated to be even worse, with temps hovering in the teens and 20s.

Morning wind chills on those days could force temperatures below zero in some areas, making it dangerous to even go outside. The wind could also whip around the remaining snow, which may result in visibility issues and hazardous driving conditions.

Temperatures will then rebound slightly on Friday, when they’re expected to climb to just around freezing.