Large Coastal Storm Barrels Toward NYC Next Week, Forecasters Say

NEW YORK CITY — New York City is expected to get hit with two storms during the first half of December, forecasters say.

First, forecasters are predicting a light wintry mix of rain, snow, and wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour in the city starting Wednesday night, as a storm — which has dumped more than three feet of snow upstate — swoops down toward the city, losing moisture along the way.

Looking ahead, forecasters are also now predicting that there could be a bigger coastal storm heading toward the city next week.

Accuweather meteorologists say that this next storm would sweep upward along the Atlantic coast, and impact New York starting on Dec. 9.

Since the storm is still far away, there are a lot of possibilities in how it could impact New York, but Accuweather meteorologists say that since the storm is expected to sweep up along the coast, it will likely pick up moisture along the way, resulting in heavier rainfall and snow, if it's cold enough.

"Options for the storm as it nears the coast range from it evolving into a potent nor'easter with significant travel disruptions to a weaker storm that simply races out to sea with minimal travel problems," Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist, said.

As of Tuesday morning, Accuweather predicts a 55 percent chance of showers next Monday and Wednesday, and a 60 percent chance of rain next Thursday, but these numbers might change as the storm gets closer.

To see early predictions for next week's storm, go here.

And, for this week's forecast from the National Weather Service, keep reading.

Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 40 degrees. West wind blows 7 to 10 miles per hour.

Tuesday night
Mostly clear, with a low around 31. Northwest wind blows 5 to 9 mph.

Wednesday
Increasing clouds, with a high near 43. South winds blow 5 to 13 mph.

Wednesday night
There's an 80 percent chance of rain and snow showers, becoming all rain after 10 p.m. Steady temperature around 42 degrees. Southwest wind around 17 mph. Little or no snow accumulation is expected.

Thursday
There's a 70 percent chance of rain showers, mainly before 10 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a temperature falling to around 37 by 4 p.m. Breezy, with a west wind 20 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.

Thursday night
Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Breezy.

Friday
Sunny, with a high near 35. Breezy.

Friday night
Mostly clear, with a low around 30.

Saturday
Partly sunny, with a high near 38.

Saturday night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Sunday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 40.

Sunday night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 34.

This is a developing story and may be updated. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.