NEW YORK (WABC) — A powerful winter storm has buried parts of the Tri-State area under two feet of snow, with whiteout conditions and hurricane-force winds.
Visibility in Times Square dropped to near zero as heavy snow bands continued pushing through New York City, northern New Jersey and Long Island.
Meteorologist Dani Beckstrom says the wind has been “such a huge part of the weather story,” with gusts still reaching 40 mph and earlier peak gusts even more extreme.
The National Weather Service reported an 84 mph gust at Montauk Point (from an elevated observation site) and 64 mph in Stony Brook, both equivalent to hurricane-force winds. Other peak gusts topped 60 mph in Kew Gardens Hills and Fordham.
Blizzard warnings remain in effect until 6 p.m., with winds expected to ease only late this afternoon.Snowfall Totals Already Surpassing Two Feet
Snow continues falling across all five boroughs, Long Island, northeast New Jersey, the Hudson Valley and Connecticut. While northern areas are now tapering off, pockets of intense snow remain across Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Westchester, Fairfield County and Long Island.
Storm Timeline: Slow Improvement This Afternoon
Snow intensity will gradually weaken late morning into midday, with the final flakes wrapping up in New York City and points west by 2-3 p.m.
Eastern Long Island will take longer, with snow lingering into the late afternoon.
After sunset:
Winds will finally fall below damaging levels.
Temperatures drop below freezing area-wide.
Any untreated roads, sidewalks or driveways will refreeze overnight.
Wind chills fall into the single digits and low teens.
Tuesday brings cold but brighter weather. Another round of light snow is possible early Wednesday morning, but meteorologists stress it will be minor compared to this system.
More updates will be provided throughout the day as blizzard conditions continue to impact the area.
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