The New York City metro area could have its snowiest storm in years this weekend, as forecasters say they’re increasingly confident at least 6 inches — and possibly up to a foot — of snow could blanket the city early Sunday into Monday.
A foot of snow would be more snow in one storm than the city has received all winter so far, according to the National Weather Service.
The developing storm is expected to arrive after a sharp blast of Arctic air moves into the region late this week, said Bryan Ramsey, a meteorologist with the service. A strong cold front followed by high pressure sliding in from Canada will drive temperatures below freezing by Friday night, and keep them there for days.
“We are staying below freezing all the way through at least Tuesday night,” Ramsey said, calling it a “very cold” stretch where temperatures could dip into the low teens.
The city’s emergency management agency has been sounding the alarm about the forecast and urging New Yorkers to dress warmly and check on neighbors.
The low temperatures will set the stage for the snowstorm as a low-pressure system passes south of the city on Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
As of Wednesday morning, there was a roughly 80% chance the city would get at least 6 inches of snow, Ramsey said. He added that there were lower but growing odds that the totals in the area could approach a foot. The snow is anticipated to be widespread across the five boroughs, he said.
South Jersey will likely get higher snow accumulations, while North Jersey could experience a slightly lighter event, according to the National Weather Service.
Ramsey said that so far this winter, Central Park has recorded just 9.7 inches of snow in total, including about 2.5 inches this month. A single storm dropping a foot of snow would surpass that entire seasonal total.
The last time Central Park saw more than 6 inches in one event was January 2022, when 8.3 inches fell, according to meteorologists. A foot or more hasn’t been recorded since January 2021, when 17.4 inches piled up.
Forecasters said this weekend’s storm could potentially disrupt commutes on Monday, as well as school and business operations, depending on how quickly the system moves out. New York City officials are telling residents to keep an eye on the forecast throughout the week.
Ramsey said the freezing temperatures predicted through Tuesday night could keep snow on the ground into at least the middle of next week.
“The snow’s gonna be sticking around for a while,” he said.
