Pedestrians struggle to see as freezing rain begins pelting New York.
(EPA)
A crossing guard takes cover from the snow under the awning of a restaurant in New York’s Chinatown as snow falls today.
(AP)
A man fills up a gas tank at a fuelling station in the Queens Friday. (Reuters)
IT’S ‘HAIL’ OUT HERE! A woman tries to get a cab as snow falls in New York.
(Getty Images)
(NOAA)
Grounds crews prepare a plane for flight at LaGuardia Airport today. Most airlines were giving up on flying in and out of New York, Boston and other airports in the Northeast ahead of the massive storm.
(AP)
Ricky Varona tries to right his umbrella while dealing with wind and precipitation as the beginnings of winter storm Nemo. (EPA)
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Parts of the city’s transit system could shut down tonight as winter storm Nemo batters the Big Apple, potentially making a hellish commute even harder amid snow and freezing rain.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on its website that the expected 10 to 14 inches of snow and 50 mile-per-hour wind gusts could force the suspension of some subway and bus lines, and cause delays for others.
Beginning at midnight, 7 trains will run between Main Street and Queensboro Plaza only, with a train shuttle between Queensboro Plaza and Vernon-Jackson Avenues, the MTA said. There will be no 7 service in Manhattan, but the 42nd Street shuttle will run throughout the night.
Other vulnerable subway lines that run above ground include the Sea Beach N, Brighton B/Q and the Dyre Avenue 5 lines.
Governor Cuomo announced this evening that Metro-North service will be suspended at 10 pm.
New Jersey Transit is shutting down its Morris and Essex, Montclair-Boonton and all Midtown Direct rail lines at 8 p.m. Bus service in the northern part of the state — including all routes between the Port Authority bus terminal and the George Washington Bridge — will be suspended, also at 8 p.m.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency Friday, although he said this storm won’t be nearly as bad as Sandy. The declaration gives the state more flexibility in cleaning up; similar declarations were made in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Mayor Bloomberg said that after Hurricane Sandy, working together is “fresh in the minds” of city agencies.
Bloomberg called the storm “reasonably unpredictable” and warned folks to stay away from downed power lines.
Many of the same communities inundated by Sandy are “likely to see some moderate coastal flooding this evening.”
The mayor reminded New Yorkers to use 311 to alert the city to snow issues and to leave 911 for real emergencies.
“Stay home, cook a good meal, read a good book,” the mayor advised.
The FDNY added an extra firefighter to each engine unit and the NYPD beefed up patrols in coastal areas, the mayor said.
“It’s certainly not going to be a Hurricane Sandy,” Bloomberg said. “That’s doesn’t mean you can’t get badly hurt.”
The city has 1,700 snow plows, 65 frontend loaders and 450 salt spreaders as well as more than 100 pieces of equipment from private vendors, the mayor said today.
Bloomberg said Thursday the city had 250 tons of salt on hand, and sanitation workers planned to start 12-hour shifts at 7 p.m. when heavy snow is expected to begin piling up.
“We’re ready for it,” Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty said.
The sanitation department issued a snow alert beginning at 4 a.m. Friday.
Residents can track the progress of salt spreading and snow removal in their neighborhoods with PlowNYC by entering their address into a field on the agency’s website.
“This is a very dangerous storm,” said Jerry Hauer, the state’s emergency-services commissioner, as he urged New Yorkers to stay home if they can.
“Travel will be almost impossible” tonight, he warned.
City senior centers will be closed Saturday and all film permits have been suspended.
The snow began falling Friday morning in some areas, with the heaviest amounts falling at night and into Saturday. Wind gusts could reach 75 mph. Widespread power failures were feared.
Shoppers who tried to stock up on essentials before work found themselves in a half-hour-long line at a Mount Vernon supermarket.
The throngs at a Stop & Shop in Mount Vernon on Friday morning included William White of Peekskill.
He figured he’d stop by for some bread and water.
Says White: “Looks like everybody else had the same idea.”
Mary Anne DiBello of Yonkers had been there, done that. And she was doing it again.
DiBello says it was “even crazier” when she shopped on Thursday night.
Unfortunately, she forgot a few things.
City schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said that schools were open today but that all afterschool programs and PSAL games are canceled.
“We are watching conditions and will decide about Saturday programs later today when we have more information on the storm forecast for tomorrow. While travel conditions to school in the morning may not be difficult, the weather is expected to worsen as the day progresses,” the Dept. of Education said in a statement.
In a radio address, Mayor Bloomberg was optimistic the city would cope with the storm.
“You can have a forecast of next to nothing or a foot and a half of snow,” he said.
“Our biggest concern is making sure that people get home from their day and that they don’t abandon their cars in the middle of the road. But we don’t think the snow is going to come down hard enough where that should be a problem.”
Nevertheless, he advised people to leave work early if possible.
The heavy stuff started falling late Friday afternoon, right in the middle of rush hour.
“I sort of wish the snow would start a little bit later,” Bloomberg said.
Bloomberg issued a severe weather advisory for the city.
The organizers of New York’s Fashion Week — a closely watched series of fashion shows held under a big tent — said they will have extra crews to help with snow removal and will turn up the heat and add an extra layer to the venue.
Blizzard warnings were posted for parts of New Jersey and Long Island.
Many schools in New Jersey will close early as the state braces for the storm.
NJ Transit will add additional trains during the afternoon. Buses and trains are cross-honoring tickets. The agency closed the bus lanes just after 9 a.m. because of the weather.
A blizzard warning for northeast New Jersey calls for as much as 14 inches of snow. Up to 10 inches are possible for most of the state, with 2 to 5 inches in south Jersey.
The coast could see wave heights of 12 feet and moderate flooding. Some residents are being urged to evacuate as the storm intensifies.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says he will be declaring a state of emergency because of the incoming blizzard and is warning that some highways may be closing as early as noon.
Malloy said Friday morning that people need to take the storm seriously, and he’s urging motorists to stay off the roads so emergency workers can get to where they need to go.
The governor is also urging residents to stay home once the weather gets bad.
The full impact of the blizzard won’t be known until sundown, when two powerful storms — an Alberta clipper from Canada and a big rainmaker from the Gulf and Southeast — collide and combine off the Atlantic coast, forecasters said. But the storm could be one for the record books, forecasters warned.
New York state has more than 1,500 snow plows, about 470,000 tons of road salt and hundreds of highway workers ready to tackle what’s expected to be the worst storm so far in 2013.
Gov. Cuomo says the state Emergency Operations Center in Albany will be activated at noon Friday to monitor the storm’s impact on New York and coordinate response efforts from Long Island to Niagara Falls.
Personnel from state emergency management, health, military, transportation, utility regulation and police agencies are among those who will be staffing the center into the weekend.
The state police Thruway detail is also adding patrols during the storm.
In New England, it could prove to be among the top 10 snowstorms in history, and perhaps even break Boston’s record of 27.6 inches, set in 2003, forecasters said. The last major snowfall in southern New England was well over a year ago — the Halloween storm of 2011.
New Yorkers are urged to avoid unnecessary driving and use public transportation instead.
Due to the impending storm, Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road will be providing extra trains during the early afternoon rush hour.
Metro-North will operate on a regular schedule until noon. Between noon and 8 p.m. the railroad will have extra trains leaving Grand Center Terminal.
It says train combinations and cancellations are possible.
Hauer warned coastal areas of Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island of a tidal surge of three to five feet and “strong wave action.” That’s not close to Hurricane Sandy’s 13-foot-plus surge but serious enough for residents to be prepared if they have to evacuate, he said.
“The good news, I guess if you like snow, is that we’re going to have snow,” Bloomberg said yesterday morning.
Edwards said high temperatures in the city may reach only 31 tomorrow and 36 Sunday, so don’t expect any real melting until the low and mid-40s of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Alternate-side parking will be suspended through Sunday and parking meters are suspended on Saturday.
Amtrak is suspending all service between New York and Boston starting at 1 p.m. today.
The MTA expects to be operating subways and buses as it attempts to clear tracks of snow.
The LIRR is adding extra trains in the afternoon to help passengers get home and is urging customers to leave early.
“We urge LIRR customers to take advantage of our extra afternoon Eastbound service and leave the city early before the worst of the storm hits,” said LIRR President Helena Williams. “This is a serious storm, so it’s best to get home early and avoid traveling as conditions worsen.”
Airlines have cancelled 3,775 flights in preparation for the Northeast storm, according to airline tracking website FlightAware. At New York City’s three main airports, most domestic carriers planned to cease operations between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, resuming after noon on Saturday, FlightAware said. At Boston’s Logan and other New England airports, most airlines were to cease operations between noon and 4 p.m., and would restart Saturday afternoon.
FlightAware shows 728 cancellations at the three big airports in the New York area. Another 191 flights to or from Boston have been scrubbed, and 137 in Toronto.
Airlines issued so-called “weather waivers,” allowing passengers flying in the storm-affected areas to change their flight date without paying a change fee.
Drivers were bracing for the worst last night, as gas lines stretched for blocks in Brooklyn, Staten Island and Long Island.
Bloomberg said today that New Yorkers shouldn’t panic-buy fuel, saying
“all indications the gas supply is plentiful.”
With AP