'Avoid Unnecessary Travel': State Of Emergency Declared As Historic Winter Storm Moves Into Hudson Valley

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — As a potentially historic winter storm arrives in the Hudson Valley, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared an official State of Emergency.

The State of Emergency is in effect in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, Ulster Sullivan and Albany counties. Bronx, Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Fulton, Greene, Herkimer, Kings, Madison, Montgomery, Nassau, New York, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, Queens, Richmond, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Rensselaer, Suffolk, Wayne, and contiguous counties are also included in the declaration.

The emergency declaration covers more than half of New York counties.

Areas of the Mid-Hudson, New York City and Long Island regions will see the highest snowfall amounts with totals of four to eight inches possible, and with localized amounts of up to 12 inches.

On average, snowfall rates will be between a half inch to one and a half inches per hour, with peak rates of more than two inches an hour possible. The heaviest snow is expected to begin at 6 p.m. on Friday. Unnecessary travel should be avoided until later Saturday morning.

If travel is unavoidable, New Yorkers should be sure to leave themselves extra time between destinations and ensure their vehicles are packed with safety essentials.

"As widespread snowfall is expected to start in New York City and its surrounding areas this evening, I will declare a State of Emergency to ensure that our agencies and local partners have the resources and tools they need to respond to the storm," Hochul said. "The safety of New Yorkers is my top priority, and I continue to urge extreme caution throughout the duration of this storm. Please continue to monitor your local forecast, avoid unnecessary travel and if you must travel, take all necessary precautions to ensure you arrive safely at your destination."

The heaviest snowfall of the storm is expected in these areas between 6 p.m. and midnight Friday, with the potential for some Hudson Valley areas to see snowfall rates of more than two inches per hour.

Strong winds also are anticipated with gusts of 25 to 35 mph possible, and localized gusts possibly reaching 50 mph. This wind combined with snow, which could be wet and heavy at times, could create the potential for power outages.

The Thruway Authority said it is ready to respond with 688 operators available with 339 large and medium duty plow trucks, 11 tow plows, 66 loaders and more than 126,000 tons of salt on hand.