STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — States including Oklahoma and Tennessee have borne the initial brunt of a weekend winter storm that is closing in on New York City.
Photos from the southern states show near-whiteout conditions and snow accumulations from the storm, which is expected to impact much of the central and eastern parts of the country.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt told a news station that despite some power outages and poor road conditions, the Sooner State had weathered the early parts of the storm.
“Oklahomans did a really good job of preparing,” he said. “Overall, fairly good news right now in Oklahoma.”
The southern states expect to deal with the storm through Sunday afternoon when it will be making its full impact on the five boroughs.
Snow is already falling in parts of Kansas and Missouri, as well as parts of Texas and Arkansas, and was expected to begin late Saturday afternoon along the North Carolina-Virginia border, according to the National Weather Service.
Heavy snow is expected to begin in Cleveland and Pittsburgh on Saturday evening, the NWS said. In Baltimore and Washington. D.C., it is expected to start at around 11 p.m.
Forecasters predict snow in New York City to begin between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday, continuing throughout the day before possibly becoming sleet Sunday night into early Monday morning.
A bit more snow should return Monday morning, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani saying the city expects to see about 8 to 9 inches of snow before the storm is over. Some weather forecasters predict more.
The most significant local snow totals are expected north and west of the city in New Jersey’s Morris, Sussex and Bergen Counties, and in the Hudson Valley of New York.
There, forecasters say residents could expect as much as 18 inches of snow from one of the tri-state area’s most significant winter storms in close to a decade.
The New York City Department of Sanitation has scheduled a Snow Alert to go into effect at 1 a.m. Sunday. The department began applying brine to city streets Friday and is preparing resources for deployment when snow begins falling Sunday.
Given the forecast for poor road conditions, the New York City Emergency Management Department has issued a hazardous travel advisory for Sunday and Monday.
“We’re facing a major winter storm that could bring some of the heaviest snowfall New York City has seen in years, along with frigid temperatures and high winds,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “City agencies are fully mobilized — our streets are being treated, our plow fleet is prepared, and outreach teams are working around the clock to ensure New Yorkers can stay safe and homeless New Yorkers can access shelter. I’m deeply grateful to the public servants who are putting in long, cold hours under tough conditions to help our city weather this severe winter weather. I urge everyone across the five boroughs to prepare ahead of the storm, stay off the roads once it begins, and follow updates through Notify NYC.”