What to Know
- A powerful winter storm triggering weather alerts across the U.S. triggered major coastal flooding and downed trees across Long Island, Queens and parts of the Jersey Shore; travel is chaotic
- Tri-state power outages peaked around 125,000 Friday morning but were drastically reduced by early afternoon; frigid temps could make more problems, though, so stay weather aware for weekend
- Wind chill warnings are in effect for much of central and northwestern New Jersey, with the outside air feeling like -10 to -20 — which could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes
A monstrous winter storm jeopardizing holiday travel across America ratcheted up in intensity Friday, flooding parts of New York and New Jersey, tearing down trees in Connecticut and paralyzing swaths of the country at the worst time.
Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for the Big Apple ahead of the storm, encouraging holiday travelers to either move up their plans or delay them, with the multi-faceted storm generating wind gusts near 60 mph and downpours that inundated coastal areas with up to 3 feet of water.
Now we've got black ice to worry about. Bridges and overpasses tend to freeze first, and black ice is nearly impossible to see. If the road looks wet or like there is a puddle, assume it is ice.
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Reports of multiple cars stranded during high tide in Long Island's Freeport came in early Friday. No injuries were immediately reported there. In the city, crews were prioritizing parts of southern Queens that were hard hit by high tide in the morning. Residual flooding will be addressed as tides recede. The one Friday night isn't expected to be as bad.
The winter siege began Thursday, and while other parts of the country saw blizzard-like conditions, it didn't feel like much of a winter storm locally until Friday evening, as temperatures plunged and wind chills turned sub-zero. It did feel like a thunderstorm at times, with weather alerts up for parts of the city and subway and coastal flooding reported.
Get real-time transit updates here as the powerful storm continues.
High surf and storm surge could lead to 1 to 3 feet of inundation in the lowest-lying areas during high tide. This could cause road closures and widespread flooding of low-lying areas near waterfronts, but some flooding could extend inland from the waterfronts so stay weather aware. Check the latest weather alerts for your neighborhood here.
The intense wind gusts will top 50 mph for the I-95 corridor, plenty strong enough to cause damage and could trigger power outages that, given the frigid weather approaching, could be dangerous if they last.
Wind advisories are in place for the entire tri-state area through Friday night. Sustained winds will be around 20-30 mph. Ongoing power outages and downed trees are possible.
As the dangerous arctic air rushes in, the mercury will plunge by about 30 degrees within a matter of hours. Wind chills will be at or below zero before dark, and temperatures will be in the teens Friday night, and a wind chill warning is in effect for much of central and northwest New Jersey, as well as parts of the Hudson Valley.
Any wet surfaces, including roadways, could quickly turn to ice by the time many get going early on Christmas Eve, or even the night before. Wind chill warnings are in effect for much of central and northwestern New Jersey, with the outside air feeling as low as -10 to -20 — which could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.
What's Next
The Christmas weekend will be sunny, but also breezy and bitterly cold, possibly the coldest in decades. Temperatures aren't expected to reach the freezing mark -- even as a high -- until next Tuesday, at the earliest. We'll be able to get out of "dangerous" cold territory by Monday afternoon, though.
Temperatures will be slow to moderate early next week so it stays cold, but we’ll transition out of “dangerous” territory on Monday afternoon. By late week we’ll be near average, then, plot twist: it looks like the 50s return for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
The Department of Sanitation will be salting the streets to ward off black ice — and for the first time, the city will salt bike lanes as well. Officials are asking travelers to stay off the roads if at all possible and take mass transit instead.
We should get back above that mark to close out the year, with the long-range forecast predicting highs topping 50 degrees for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Stay with Storm Team 4 for updates.
