The storm that shall not be named is upon us! As expected, the energy from the Great Lakes storm is being sucked into the coastal low, causing what meteorologists charmingly call bombogenesis, which is the rapid intensification of a storm. Partly because of that, today is turning out slightly cooler than anticipated, which means the switchover to rain will only last for a couple of hours. How much snow falls this afternoon depends on how long the rain lasts. The Bronx and northern suburbs might see 3-5 inches while spots right on the coast might get very little.
As the coastal storm intensifies and gets closer, the winds will start howling out of the north and we see will snow, possibly heavy at times, starting late this afternoon and lasting overnight. Winds will pick up to a steady 20-25 mph with higher gusts to blow all that newly fallen snow around. That's good enough for a blizzard warning. The city is now expected to get 6-10 inches of snow overnight. More snow and stronger winds are expected as you head east. Of particular concern, especially to the east, are bands of snow. These bands happen when two streams of air converge near the ground, producing a localized circulation that can drop intense amounts of snow, like 2-3 inches per hour. If you're going to be out driving—and you really, really shouldn't be—visibility will be extremely limited in those snow bands.
The snow should be pretty much over by tomorrow morning. The blustery winds and cold air will still be around. Saturday's high will be around 30 degrees. After a really cold night we get a break on Sunday with mostly sunny skies. If there's a foot of snow on the ground the temperature isn't going to get much above freezing. And another rain/snow event is likely on Monday.
