Up To 3 Inches Of Snow Could Hit NYC, Official Says

NEW YORK — The season's first snowfall could coat New York City in as many as three inches of flakes, the city's sanitation chief said Wednesday. The Department of Sanitation plans to roll out its salt spreaders on Thursday to brace for the snow, Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said.

The department is predicting anywhere from one to three inches starting Thursday afternoon, Garcia said. The National Weather Service, though, had an estimate closer to half an inch on Wednesday morning.

The snow will come on an unseasonably frigid Thursday with a high near 37 degrees, the weather service says. The mercury is expected to dip to a low of 29 on Wednesday night, with wind chill values as cold as 20 degrees.

Rain will replace the snow in the evening, as temperatures are expected to warm back up, Garcia said. That will likely make for a slippery evening commute.

"The roadways could be a little slushy," said Calvin Drayton, first deputy commissioner of the Office of Emergency Management. "... Be very careful with walking, driving and riding any bicycles."

Sanitation workers are planning to collect garbage as usual on Thursday, though "that could change if the weather significantly degrades," Garcia said. Alternate-side parking rules will be suspended and street sweeping will be cancelled, she said.

(Lead image: People cross the street past a snow plow in Brooklyn in March 2018. Photo by Michael Heiman/Getty Images)