What to Know
- Winter Storm watches and warnings are in effect until Sunday for much of the tri-state
- Some residents were trudging through deep snow by midnight, while others barely noticed any flakes on the ground
- The storm system moves out early Sunday morning ahead of a warm-up that will see temps in the 60s this week
A winter storm swept into the region on Saturday night, taking residents by surprise as it unleashed puffy flakes from the Catskills to Times Square and the North Shore of Long Island.
The fast-moving system left piles of slushy snow in some parts of the tri-state, while the white stuff was barely noticeable in other places, where snow had quickly switched over to rain.
A winter storm warning remained in effect Sunday morning for parts of the tri-state, including in New York City. The warning was issued for Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens until 7 a.m. Sunday. Southern Connecticut, northeast New Jersey, the North Shore of Long Island and most of the lower Hudson Valley were also under the warning through the night, while winter storm watches were in effect for most of the rest of the region.
What to Expect: Storm Team 4 Breaks Down This Weekend's Snow, Wintry Mix
The snow started around sunset Saturday as temperatures plummeted into the 30s. A wintry mix that began in New Jersey brought sizable flakes to Rockefeller Center throughout the evening.
No serious accidents were immediately reported, although slick roads did cause incidents across the region, including in Litchfield, Connecticut, where an SUV ran off a road.
Local
The storm caused disruptions at area airports, with cancellations reported at LaGuardia, Newark Liberty, and John F. Kennedy. Snow teams were deployed to plow airport roadways, the Port Authority said.
New York City officials issued a hazardous travel advisory through 7 a.m. Sunday. They said New Yorkers should prepare for snow-covered roads, though in Manhattan the 5 inches of snow that had fallen by midnight failed to stick and little to no accumulation was visible amid light rain.
But some areas saw much heavier snow. About 9 inches fell in Rockaway, New Jersey by midnight, while New City, New York, saw 7.5 inches and Monroe, Connecticut recorded 4.5 inches.
The storm system was forecast to move out early Sunday and milder temperatures were to return later in the day. The start of the work week will be cloudy, but highs will soar back into the 50s on Monday and then into the upper 60s on Tuesday and Wednesday, Storm Team 4 says.