Metro

Storm set to slam NYC with snow Wednesday night

Brace yourself for what forecasters are calling a “double whammy” of winter: a big snow followed by brutal cold.

The first storm of the new year — dubbed Winter Storm Hercules — is expected to dump six to 10 inches of snow in New York City beginning Wednesday night.

But the exact amounts depend on its track, forecasters said.

“We sort of like the six better than the 10,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Mark Paquette. “The 10 is more likely over Long Island and on east into Connecticut.”

The heaviest snow should fall from noon to midnight Thursday. And no, there’s little chance of its melting before Sunday.

“It’s going to be right around freezing on Thursday but that’s going to feel mild compared with Friday,” Paquette said. He said the thermometer will be around 14 when New Yorkers wake up Friday, hit a high of only 16 and then drop to as long as 5 degrees that night.

Add to that winds of 15 to 30 miles per hour, with higher gusts, Thursday night and all day Friday, making it feel well below zero at times.

“It’s like a double whammy: You get the snow, then you get the cold and the wind, making it really miserable,” Paquette said.

The good news is that it may hit highs of 37 degrees on Sunday and Monday. “You can break out the summer shorts,” he said.