Travel Advisory Issued For NYC As Snow Expected Friday Night
The New York City Emergency Management Department has issued a citywide Travel Advisory for Friday, February 16 into Saturday, February 17. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Staten Island from 10:00 p.m. tonight to 1:00 p.m. tomorrow. The Winter Weather Advisory may be expanded to include the entire city when the National Weather Service forecast is updated this afternoon.
The current forecast calls for 2 inches of light to moderate snow citywide, with up to 3 inches in Staten Island. Heavy snowfall is not expected. This will be a quick-moving storm, with the bulk of the snow occurring between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Snow tapers off around daybreak tomorrow, with a few flurries possible into the early afternoon. Significant impacts are not anticipated, although slippery roadways with slight reductions in visibility may cause minor travel disruptions overnight and tomorrow morning.
Winds will be light out of the north at 5 to 10 m.p.h. during the storm, with gusts of 25 to 30 m.p.h. tomorrow afternoon. Temperatures will be in the low 30s tonight, but will climb into the mid to upper 30s tomorrow afternoon after snow has ended, allowing for snowmelt. Temperatures will drop below freezing again tomorrow night around midnight, which may result in areas of patchy ice overnight Saturday into Sunday morning, particularly on untreated surfaces.
NYC Emergency Management has proactively activated the City’s Winter Weather Emergency Plan in response to the forecasted conditions. This includes conducting coordination calls with the National Weather Service and city and state agencies and utility partners, and bolstering staffing for Watch Command and the Emergency Operations Center, which is already operational due to the city’s ongoing asylum seeker operations. The administration announced that Alternate Side Parking Regulations will be suspended tomorrow, Saturday, February 17, 2024. Payment at parking meters will remain in effect throughout the city.
As part of the Winter Weather Emergency Plan, the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) will be issuing a Snow Alert. As part of the Adams administration’s commitment to providing quality of life services to every part of the City, Sanitation Workers will pre-salt certain “high spots,” side streets, and bike lanes – areas prone to accumulation that had not always received the attention they needed under past administrations – hours before the first flake falls. When precipitation begins, the Department will deploy over 700 Salt Spreaders to salt on every street, highway and bike lane in the City. During a Snow Alert, the Department collaborates closely with NYC Emergency Management and the Department of Transportation to implement snow clearing protocols, adhering to the detailed snow plans established by each agency. DSNY will be tracking operations via its new Bladerunner 2.0 platform, allowing real-time adjustments as conditions require. Every street is on a route and, for the first time, every route can be dispatched at the same time. Residents may follow their normal schedule for trash and recycling collection, but collection may be delayed.
The NYC Department of Homeless Services has issued a Code Blue and outreach teams will canvass all five boroughs to connect our most vulnerable New Yorkers to shelters. No one who is homeless and seeking shelter in New York City during a Code Blue will be denied. For the most immediate response, New Yorkers who see individuals they believe to be experiencing homelessness and in need should contact 311 via phone or mobile app and request outreach assistance.
Residential building owners are legally required to maintain indoor temperatures at 68 degrees when the temperatures fall below 55 degrees outside during the day and a minimum of 62 degrees indoors overnight, regardless of outdoor temperatures. If an apartment lacks appropriate heat, a tenant should first attempt to notify the building owner, managing agent or superintendent. If heat is not restored, the tenant should register an official complaint via 311.
