Although today feels like beach-volleyball-in-Brooklyn-Bridge-Park sort of weather, you'll want to soak up the sand and sun while it lasts, because meteorologists say a "major" winter storm could hit NYC and the surrounding area on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Our friends over at NBC's Storm Team 4 say "a major winter storm appears increasing likely Wednesday into Thursday." Some parts of New York and New Jersey could see a foot or more! Which parts? Too soon to say, but if you like snow, you'll love the looks of this "big dose":
The storm system is heading our way from the Rocky Mountains, so you know it's legit. Meteorologists are so pumped that AccuWeather is even calling it a "potential blockbuster storm."
"While we continue to monitor trends, residents in the East need to pay close attention to the forecast over the next few days,” says AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys. “This storm has the potential to be highly disruptive for a large number of people.”
On Friday, the Sanitation Department, which handles snow removal for the city, announced that if over one inch of snow is expected, a snow alert will be issued, requiring restaurants to suspend outdoor street dining. Under the new guidance, "all tables and chairs should be removed or secured, electric heaters should be removed, and the tops of structures should be removed, if possible." And if over a foot of snow is forecast, restaurants will be ordered to "remove or consolidate structures, including barriers, to take up as little space as possible."
Any potential snow-related suspension of outdoor dining could last days, depending on how much snow falls and how long it takes the Sanitation Department to clear the roads. It's a potentially heavy financial blow for the struggling restaurant industry, which has been ordered by the state to suspend indoor dining in NYC starting Monday, due to rising COVID-19 hospitalization rates.
The Sanitation Department released a PSA video yesterday to explain their new snow strategy:
Be advised that the possible midweek snowstorm will likely be preceded by a soggy Monday rain, which could transition to a dash of wet snow in the city as temperatures drop, ABC 7 predicts. Following Monday's rain, a low pressure system is expected to usher in lower temperatures, setting the stage for what Gothamist's Storm Team 17 will likely designate "Snowmageddon."
So start practicing your long jump now, because Thursday's snow is Friday's bottomless slush lagoon.
Update 1:45 p.m.: The Sanitation Department has issued a Winter Operations Advisory for Monday because of a "chance of winter weather" in the forecast. This is not as severe as the department's "Snow Alert," which would require the cessation of outdoor roadway dining. In the announcement, the Sanitation Department explained that a Winter Operation Advisory can be declared "when some snow, ice or winter weather is in the forecast, generally under an inch of total accumulation....The Department may spread salt and/or brine on the roadway to prevent freezing."
Update 2:29 p.m.: We can confirm that it is in fact beach volleyball weather out there.
