The latest forecast from Storm Team 4.
What to Know
- Thursday's storm has already made this the snowiest November since 1938; 6 inches were recorded in Central Park
- Snow fell rapidly into the evening rush hour, creating an abject mess across roads and mass transit
- Snow changed to all rain late, and the sun should be out by Friday afternoon; temps will stay in the mid-40s through the weekend
The first snowstorm of the season swirled into the tri-state area early Thursday afternoon, at first gently, then with a vengeance that saw conditions rapidly deteriorate in the city and visibilities plunge across the region, ripping down trees and paralyzing roads, stranding people for hours at the height of the evening rush.
By evening, the storm had dumped 6 inches of snow in Central Park, making it the snowiest November on record since 1938, according to Storm Team 4. At one point, snowfall was racing down at 1 to 2 inches an hour through the late afternoon.
Roads were an abject mess at the height of the storm. Streets were gridlocked in New York City and traffic was at a complete standstill on major highways. Alternate side parking is suspended in New York City Friday to assist in snow removal. Check the latest road conditions here.
The National Weather Service expanded its winter weather alerts, issuing a winter storm warning for more than a dozen tri-state counties as the storm closed in. Check the latest weather alerts for your neighborhood here and click here for school closings and delays.
Local
For most of the region, the snow was heavy, wet and fast to fall, which lead to power outages in the hardest hit spots. The precipitation mix made for slick roads and hazardous travel across the tri-state, leading to accidents, gridlocking local roads and major highways and severely delayed mass transit. UPDATE: Snowstorm paralyzes traffic, mucks up mass transit during rush hour.
The snow eventually changed to all rain, with sleet first mixing in early in the evening before the rain/snow line moved north and northwest into the city and surrounding suburbs. Further to the north and west, the precipitation stayed as a wintry mix of snow and sleet, allowing for even more accumulation into the early hours of the morning.
Winds picked up as well, gusting over 30 miles per hour overnight into Friday. A few rumbles of thunder are even possible as a final intense burst of precipitation moves through.
Rain and snow will continue into the Friday morning commute, ending around 9 a.m., but the winds will remain strong, despite the return of sun Friday afternoon.
Highs bump back into the mid-40s on Friday and are expected to stay in that range through the weekend, Storm Team 4 says.
