FAST BLAST: A quick snowstorm will hit the New York area today, according to forecasts — but will be melted and gone before long. (
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The last snowstorm of 2012 will blow through the city today, leaving a wet and messy 1 to 3 inches of white, forecasters said.
“It’s a quick-moving little storm” that moved up from Mississippi yesterday, said AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Walker.
The first soggy flakes are due at about 9 a.m., and the storm — at least the snow part of it — may be out of the city by 7 p.m.
Today’s temperature range is only 33 degrees to about 28 degrees, so rain will be mixed in with much of the snow.
“It’s going to be one of those wet snows,” Walker said. “It’s not going to be far from freezing at any time.”
“Some parts of the area will pick up 4 inches,” such as north of the city, where less rain is expected in the mix, he said.
On the other hand, eastern Long Island may get more rain than the rest of the area.
The storm, which brought freezing rain and snow to an area from Oklahoma to Missouri yesterday, may save its biggest snow punch for the areas north and northeast of the city. New England could get 6 to 12 inches of snow.
The storm will be well beyond the city by tomorrow, when high temperatures in the mid-30s will help with the melting, forecasters said.
“It’s not going to be one of those multi-day crippling snows by any means,” said meteorologist Dan Hofmann of the National Weather Service.
But you’ll feel the wind after the snow diminishes. Winds of about 5 mph this afternoon — which will make it feel like well below freezing — will rise to about 10 to 15 mph overnight and then reach a breezy 24 mph tomorrow.
And what’s next on the horizon?
“On New Year’s Day, maybe rain or snow. Another fast-moving little storm,” said Walker.
Temperatures should be in the upper 30s, which will probably be the highest we get this week.
But the good news is: No other storms are forecast in the days that follow.
And if you’re thinking of going to Times Square on New Year’s Eve, bundle up.
When celebrants welcomed 2012 in a year ago, the temperature was around 50 degrees. This time it will feel a lot more like winter, with low temperatures around 30 degrees.