Snow in NYC Forecast: Winter Weather Advisory, Travel Advisory, Snow Alert in Effect

UPDATE, Friday, Jan. 6: More snow is expected to fall Saturday. Read the details here. Or subscribe to receive weather updates and other local news from your neighborhood Patch site.

NEW YORK, NY — The city's first snow of 2017 will begin falling overnight Thursday, and could blanket us in 1 to 4 inches by the time it lets up, according to government forecasters with the National Weather Service (NWS). A winter weather advisory has been issued by the NWS for Thursday night and Friday morning.

The NYC Emergency Management Department, for its part, issued a "travel advisory" lasting from 10 p.m. Thursday through 10 a.m. Friday. "Periods of snow, sleet, or freezing rain will cause difficult travel conditions," the department said. "Snow is expected to begin late Thursday evening and will continue through Friday morning, possibly impacting the morning commute."

Here's an hour-by-hour breakdown of snow expectations through the end of the week.

A "snow alert" was also issued Thursday by the NYC Department of Sanitation — meaning the department began loading salt spreaders with salt, attaching snow plows to trucks, tying chains to tires and otherwise readying city workers to deal with snow.

Alternate side parking rules have been suspended for Friday due to the snow. However, parking meters remain in effect.

Come Saturday, the NYC metro area will again have a chance of seeing some snowfall, according to the NWS.

"Winter has returned!" the NWS wrote on its local Facebook page earlier in the week. "Temperatures," meanwhile, "will go through quite the roller coaster ride this week," the NWS said.

Here's a more detailed forecast of temps through the end of the weekend:

Thursday night: Snow, mainly after 1am. Steady temperature around 31. Wind chill values between 25 and 30. Southwest wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Friday: Snow likely, mainly before 9am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 34. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. North wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Northwest wind 8 to 10 mph.

Saturday: A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly between 10am and 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 28. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. North wind 10 to 14 mph.

Saturday night: A 20 percent chance of snow before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 21. Northwest wind 9 to 14 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 27.

Sunday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 18.

Lead photo by Simone Wilson/Patch