The East Coast is expected to brunt some severe weather this weekend, sparking preparations from officials.
The National Weather Service issued weather warnings, including blizzard alerts, for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, along with a handful of Pennsylvania counties. The worst of the storm is expected to hit on Sunday.
In New York City, the Department of Sanitation is readying 5,000 workers to rotate 12-hour shifts to keep streets passable, as a blizzard is poised to strike the area for the first time in a decade. Ahead of the nor’easter, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said any school closure decisions would be announced on Sunday. The city is expected to get 13 to 17 inches of snow.
SALENA ZITO: YOU DON’T HAVE TO LOOK FAR TO SEE A SNOWSTORM BRINGING OUT OUR BEST
Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) on Saturday afternoon declared a state of emergency for New Jersey ahead of the winter storm. Her order will take effect for all 21 state counties starting at 12 p.m. Sunday. Parts of New Jersey could see between 8 and 20 inches, along with strong wind gusts. The highest snowfall totals are likely in Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, and Burlington counties.
In Connecticut, the state’s governor has authorized a partial emergency starting 5 p.m. Sunday, citing “likely” blizzard conditions and “very strong wind gusts” as particular concerns. Stamford and Greenwich have declared snow emergencies. The southern half of Connecticut could receive up to 22 inches of snow, while the northern half may receive up to 16 inches, according to Gov. Ned Lamont (D-CT). The state has readied over 600 snowplows for deployment ahead of the storm, Lamont said Saturday.
In Pennsylvania, the state’s middle and southern counties could face up to 12 inches of snow, while several eastern counties are expected to receive up to 16 inches. Sullivan, Delaware, Philadelphia, Carbon, Monroe, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, Jefferson, Westmoreland, Fayette, and Indiana counties are under a winter weather warning. The Philadelphia metro area could see anywhere from 8 to 12 inches. Bensalem, East Norriton, Falls, Lower Gwynedd, Lower Salford, and Newton townships are among those that either already have, or are set to enact, snow or disaster emergencies, along with Rockledge Borough.
But the pattern for the expected East Coast storm could change. Two of the main weather models tracking the storm are not in alignment when it comes to how harsh conditions could become over the weekend.
MEGYN KELLY RIPS ‘SWEATY MAN’ RANDY FINE FOR GOING ‘FULL BIGOT’ IN ANTI-MUSLIM POST
The American Global Forecast System is predicting intense snowfall close to the coast, indicating states should prepare for a long weekend. But the European model has shown a much weaker storm that moves out to sea, with big cities experiencing lighter snowfall.
“Clearly you want certainty; you want all the models to agree, and you can speak with confidence that this is the scenario that’s going to occur,” Cody Snell, a meteorologist at the NOAA Weather Prediction Center, told CNN. “But whenever there’s differences, especially with this population in play along the northeast, you just have to take into account all the possibilities.”
