Today’s storm is no ice way to welcome in February.
Mother Nature — who has already dumped more than 3 feet of snow on New York City this year — is expected to unleash a hail of snow, sleet and freezing rain later today and into tomorrow, leaving roads slick, trees and power lines in jeopardy and travel conditions hazardous everywhere.
“It will not be pretty,” said AccuWeather.com meteorologist Tom Kines of the storm, which could leave behind between 1 to 3 inches of snow before mixing with freezing rain and ice in the afternoon and evening.
“North and northwest of the city, I’m most concerned about ice — this could turn into a major ice storm,” he said.
The messy blast, expected to spread across as many as 30 states, also is threatening to disrupt thousands of flights.
There may be a lull around midday, giving sanitation crews a chance to clear streets in time for the evening commute.
Also, with temperatures hovering in the low 30s, there is a slight chance some of the afternoon precipitation could just be rain. But by nightfall, a second, heavier batch of rain, freezing rain and ice is expected.