Live updates: Up to a foot of snow expected, could let up early afternoon

Parts of the Lower Hudson Valley have already seen between four and six inches of snow Tuesday morning, but the storm could let up a bit by the early afternoon.

Workers clear the sidewalk of snow in downtown White Plains Feb. 13, 2024. The latest winter storm is expected to drop six to nine inches of snow in New YorkÕs Lower Hudson Valley and the New York City area.

Rockland’s Ed Day warns of downed wires and icy roads later

Roughly 6 to 8 inches of snow had fallen across Rockland County as of around noon, with the heavier totals in the southeastern area where Orangetown is located, County Executive Ed Day said in an interview.

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Day said about 300 Rockland homes were without power at that time, based on outage tracking by Orange and Rockland Utilities. With the snowfall finally letting up, plows were catching up on what had accumulated and road conditions were improving.

“They’re better now than they were an hour ago,” he said.

His biggest concerns: downed wires and potentially icy roads later in the day as the temperature drops. He urged residents to avoid potentially live power lines and stay home if at all possible.

“It makes no sense to go out in this kind of weather,” he said.

Clarkstown snapshot: Plows keeping up but blocked in some spots

Clarkstown plows had started their runs after 2 a.m. and were still going nine hours later, largely keeping up with the steady snow, Town Supervisor George Hoehmann said in a phone interview at around 11:15 a.m.

The biggest challenge, he said, came from downed and sagging utility lines, weighed down by wet, heavy snow. Plows were unable to travel down about 10 roads because of those obstructions until utility crews repaired them.

A downed electrical wire on Brewery Road had temporarily cut power to about 800 homes, although all but 150 had since gotten power restored, Hoehmann said.

About 5 inches of snow had fallen in the Rockland County town by that hour. That was less than town officials anticipated but more than Clarkstown had had in the last couple winters.

Hoehmann reported no major road problems and no roof collapses from the heavy snow. There were a couple fender benders, but drivers had largely stayed home. The usual morning rush-hour traffic was “non-existent,” Hoehmann said.

“People have kind of heeded the warnings,” he said.

Transportation delays and closures

The Hudson Line on the Metro North Railroad is experiencing 20 to 25 minute delays because of dangerous weather conditions. However, all lines on the Metro-North Railroad are running on modified schedules because of potentially dangerous rail conditions. Go to mta.info for more information about updated train times.

Many roads throughout the area are also experiencing delays, including major routes like Taconic State Parkway, I-684, I-84 and the Saw Mill River Parkway in Westchester and Putnam. In Rockland, Route 59, the Palisades Interstate Parkway and I-287 are problem areas for drivers.

Airlines nationwide have cancelled over 1,011 flights as a result of the storm, according to FlightAware. New York metro area airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia International Airport are also experiencing some delays and cancellations.

Westchester County Airport has only cancelled around 16 flights in the last 24 hours, according to FlightAware and is experiencing minimal delays. Stewart International Airport is still running on schedule with no delays or cancellations.

Meanwhile, John F. Kennedy International Airport has cancelled around 120 flights and is experiencing delays up to an hour. LaGuardia has cancelled around 248 flights since the storm began.

Westchester’s Bee Line buses are running on or close to schedule, however Route 34 is avoiding Stadium Road and will start its route on Knollwood Road at Stadium Road.

Routes 13 and 19 are avoiding Ossining railroad station and will instead stop at Main Street and Spring Street.

Due to the snowstorm, the Rockland County Legislature’s committee meetings scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024 have been cancelled.

All agenda items will be addressed when the full Legislature meets at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 21, in the Legislature’s Chambers, Allison-Parris County Office Building, 11 New Hempstead Road, in New City.

Please check the County Legislature’s webpage for any further updates.

How much snow did the Hudson Valley get?

Snow has been steadily falling in the Lower Hudson Valley since around midnight Tuesday. As of 9:12 a.m., most of the Hudson Valley is covered in around 7 to 11 inches of snow.

So far, Putnam County has the most snow in the area with whopping 11 inches near Cold Spring, 10 inches in Putnam Valley and 8.7 in Mahopac. Rockland has around 4 to 7 inches, depending on the area.

Westchester also has a wide range of snowfall totals depending on the area. Peekskill has around 10 inches of snow, while neighborhoods near South Salem and White Plains have around 4 to 5 inches.

Ten inches of snow fell in the village of Buchanan, tapering off by the middle of the afternoon.

Mayor Theresa Knickerbocker said residents cooperated by not parking on the street so highway crews could clear the streets.

“They’re doing a great job,” Knickerbocker said. “I’m seeing clear streets from where I’m sitting.”

See snowfall totals: How much snow did we get in the Lower Hudson Valley?

Around a foot of snow expected by noon

Snowfall rates have slowed in many parts of the Lower Hudson Valley, but the area likely won’t see an end to the precipitation until the early afternoon.

National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Ramsey said parts of the area are seeing around 4 to 6 inches of snow as of 8 a.m. Snow started around midnight Tuesday and left about 2 to 3 inches by 6 a.m.

Ramsey said snowfall totals are higher in areas closest to Orange County, where the band of snow seems to be hitting the hardest.

“It’s still an event in progress,” he said. “We’re only mid-event right now so we can see things changing into the early afternoon.”

By noon, Ramsey said Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties could see around 7 to 10 inches of snow, with some areas with as much as 12 inches by the end of the storm.

In terms of outages, around 257 customers were without power in Rockland as of 10 a.m. because of downed trees in the area. Around 250 customers experienced outages in Westchester as well.

Lower Hudson Valley slammed with overnight snow

A winter storm warning is in effect until 6 p.m. Tuesday. The National Weather Service said some parts of Rockland, Westchester and Putnam may experience a mix of snow and rain until around 10 a.m., when precipitation is expected to change to snow.

The National Weather Service said snow is expected to steadily fall at a rate of about 1 to 2 inches per hour until around 6 p.m.

A coastal flood advisory is also in effect for southern Westchester County near the Sound Shore from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday. 1.5 to 2 inches of rain could affect shoreline areas and low-lying roads.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced a county-wide state of emergency Monday night and said he advises residents to stay off the roads unless necessary. Emergency crews were out clearing roads for early morning commuters as early as 3 a.m. Tuesday.

Most schools in the area are closed for the day, including in Scarsdale, New Rochelle and North Rockland, giving students a welcome snow day.

Winter storm warning in effect for Monday night into Tuesday afternoon

A winter storm system could bring up to 6-9 inches between now and Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 1 a.m. Tuesday to 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to the weather service.

Between midnight and 2 p.m., the possibility exists for there to be up to 9 inches of snow, with wind chills making the temperature feeling between 20 and 25 degrees. Weather is forecasted to partly cloudy after 6 p.m. Thursday.

The National Weather Service said coastal communities could see higher amounts of snowfall and a chance of flooding.

Schools in the Lower Hudson Valley, including the Yonkers schools, had begun to announce Tuesday snow days as of early Monday afternoon.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer said at a briefing Monday that Westchester County Police will have extra patrol and emergency service workers on call Tuesday, as well as extra staff from ConEdison and NYSEG. Latimer declared a state of emergency in Westchester on Monday night.

He said residents should stock up on food and other supplies to avoid being out on the roads in dangerous conditions. He also urged residents to stay out of the cold, especially older people and children, who are most at risk for health dangers caused by low temperatures like frostbite and hypothermia.

“We are New Yorkers. We have lived through a lot of winters already. This nothing new, but the bottom line is that we still have to be prepared for it,” Latimer said.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day and highway superintendent Skip Vezzetti said in a news release Monday county residents should stay off the roads and stay vigilant and prepared in case of an emergency.

“The key to keeping our roads clear is having as many cars off of them as possible during the storm,” Day said.

Orange & Rockland Utilities said in a news release Sunday that it had begun to prepare to mobilize its emergency response workforce to repair potential damage and restore possible outages. On Monday, O&R announced that it had obtained additional overhead line crews.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Live updates: Up to a foot of snow expected, could let up early afternoon