New York

Squall Brings Snow, Strong Winds to Tri-State; Creates Whiteout Conditions in Some Areas

A snow squall brought blinding snow and strong winds to a large swath of the tri-state area Wednesday afternoon, briefly causing whiteout conditions as snow fell at rates in excess of an inch an hour

What to Know

  • A blast of arctic air moves into the tri-state area late Wednesday, sending temperatures into the single digits overnight
  • It'll feel like well below zero with the wind chills, though; related warnings and advisories have been issued for much of the region
  • Temperatures rebound Friday to 24 after a Thursday high around 15, then climb above freezing for Saturday and soar near 50 on Sunday

A snow squall brought blinding snow and strong winds to a large swath of the tri-state area Wednesday afternoon, briefly causing whiteout conditions as snow fell at rates in excess of an inch an hour.

The National Weather Service issued a snow squall warning for all five boroughs of New York City and much of the rest of the region, including a number of New Jersey counties and Fairfield County in Connecticut. Click here for all severe weather alerts. 

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A squall is a brief burst of heavy snow, strong wind gusts and reduced visibilities that sometimes accompanies passage of a cold front. In this case, it was expected to hit much of the tri-state area -- likely between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Think of it like a line of thunderstorms moving across the region in the summer.

Meanwhile, wind chill warnings and advisories have been issued for much of the tri-state area Wednesday night into Thursday ahead of an arctic blast that will send temperatures into the teens, though it will feel like well below zero. 

By the time people wake up Thursday morning, it'll feel like 20 below, courtesy of the biting winds. Even though partly sunny skies are expected Thursday, highs will only be in the 10s with wind chills staying well below zero throughout the day, Storm Team 4 says. 

The weather improves slightly on Friday, bouncing back up to a comparatively balmy 24 degrees, then should rise above freezing Saturday and soar to near 50 degrees on Sunday as the temperature roller coaster continues.

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