'Stay Home,' Mayor Tells NYC As Winter Storm Threatens Heavy Snow

NEW YORK CITY — In-person school: canceled.

Alternate side parking: suspended.

Libraries: closed.

New Yorkers: stay home.

And that's only the tip of a snowy iceberg of advice and warnings from Mayor Eric Adams and other city officials as they braced for a major winter storm all-but-certain to hit Tuesday.

"We're taking this storm extremely, extremely serious," Adams said.

"We're encouraging New Yorkers, if you don't have to go out: stay home."

Up to 8 inches of snow could fall in the storm expected to begin Tuesday morning.

A winter storm warning is in effect for New York City Tuesday from 1 a.m. until 24 hours later Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The warning is in addition to a coastal flood advisory, a travel advisory and an Enhanced Code Blue for homeless New Yorkers, officials said.

Branches for the city's three library systems — New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Public Library — will all be closed Tuesday, officials said.

Rain will start about midnight and shift to snow early Tuesday between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m., officials said.

The total snowfall will depend on when that transition to snow unfolds, said Zach Iscol, the city's emergency management commissioner.

"If it occurs earlier, we'll see more snow," he said. "If it occurs later, we'll see less snow."

But the snow, whenever it arrives, is expected to be heavy. Iscol said it could fall at 1 to 2 inches an hour.

Sanitation crews are preparing for that heavy snow, first by salting streets on their midnight shifts, said the department's Commission Jessica Tisch.

She said plows will circle streets once accumulations hit 2 inches or more.

"To aid our operations tomorrow, we are asking New Yorkers to stay off the roads," she said. "Our salt spreaders and our plows can cover a whole lot more ground a lot faster if there are not other vehicles in their way. To that end, we have canceled alternate side parking for tomorrow, although meters remain in effect."

Tisch asked New York City property owners to clear snow and ice from sidewalks.

"We don't like to issue summonses and do enforcement, but we are prepared to enforce these very basic safety rules in New York City tomorrow to make sure that our sidewalks are clear and are passable," she said.

Chancellor David Banks said in-person classes are canceled Tuesday for public schools, but noted now means students will shift to remote learning.

He said parents and students lamenting the end of "snow days" will still have plenty of time for wintry fun when the school day is over at 3 p.m., which is about when the heaviest snow is expected to taper off.

"So, we don't want the kids to not have fun, right?" he said. "I'm not a Grinch."

Civic-minded New Yorkers should be aware of one major exception to closures Tuesday: the special elections in Queens and The Bronx.

Polls will remain open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. for both races, officials said.

Here's the complete National Weather Service forecast, as of Monday afternoon:

Monday Night
Rain, mainly after 1am. Low around 33. South wind 6 to 16 mph becoming northeast after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tuesday
Rain and snow, becoming all snow after 7am. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 37. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. Breezy, with a northeast wind 18 to 24 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible.

Tuesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. Northwest wind 10 to 14 mph.

Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 36. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. Breezy, with a northwest wind 16 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph.

Wednesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 27. Blustery, with a northwest wind 14 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Thursday
Increasing clouds, with a high near 41.

Thursday Night
A 30 percent chance of snow showers before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.

Friday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 42.

Friday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Saturday
A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38.

Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28.

Sunday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.