NYC Weather Forecast: As Blizzard Hits, City Says Stay Home

NEW YORK, NY — Heavy snow and harsh winds will pummel New York City all day Thursday, leading city officials to warn New Yorkers to stay home. The powerful "bomb cyclone" storm striking much of the northeast will drop six to 10 inches of snow on the five boroughs, according to the National Weather Service.

Wind gusts as strong as 50 MPH will create "near blizzard" conditions in the city, limiting visibility to as little as a quarter-mile and making driving dangerous, the weather service says.

New York City is under a winter storm warning until 1 a.m. Friday, when the snow is expected to finally stop.

"If you don’t need to be on the road, you shouldn’t tomorrow morning. If you can use mass transit as an alternative, that’s better," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference Wednesday. "If you don’t need to be out walking around in these conditions, please avoid it or keep your time outside to a minimum."

Keep up-to-date with the storm by signing up for Patch's real-time news alerts In NYC

The storm is expected to drop eight inches of snow on Central Park and nine inches on John F. Kennedy Airport, according to National Weather Service estimates.

The dismal weather forced cancellations Thursday for more than 90 percent of flights out of LaGuardia Airport, more than 70 percent of flights from Newark Liberty Airport and more than 20 percent of flights from John F. Kennedy Airport.

The Seastreak Ferry canceled its service to Manhattan from New Jersey on Thursday morning. The Staten Island Ferry is on a modified schedule, with boats running every 20 minutes.

The Long Island Rail Road reported "scattered systemwide delays" and started canceling trains just after 8 a.m. New Jersey Transit buses were facing up to 30-minute delays into Penn Station.

The city closed all public schools on Thursday and canceled after-school activities. The city's three library systems — Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library and Queens Library — shuttered all their branches Thursday. The Grand Central Market at Grand Central Terminal is also closed.

ALSO SEE: Hour-By-Hour Forecast For NYC 'Bomb Cyclone'

An arctic air mass will follow the snowstorm, bringing blustery winds late Thursday night that will make the air feel as cold as -10 degrees. Friday's high temperature is expected to be just 14 degrees, with wind chills still in sub-zero range.

(Lead image: A man walks his dog in Washington Square Park during a snowstorm in February 2017. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)