Wind Advisories, Flood Warnings: Hudson Valley Storm Update

UPDATE, 6PM — The National Weather Service has issued wind advisories and updated several hazardous outlooks and alerts already in place as the winter storm begins to batter the region and schools and governments begin announcing schedule changes.

Thursday night

A winter weather advisory is in effect for western Ulster County, where snow accumulations could reach 4 inches plus a light glaze of ice, with winds gusting as high as 45 mph. It ends at midnight.

A wind advisory for Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester counties goes into effect from 10 p.m. Thursday to 10 p.m. Friday. Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. The strongest winds are most likely to occur late Friday morning into Friday evening with the arctic cold front passage.

For southern Westchester, a coastal flood advisory goes into effect at 9 p.m. Thursday; it upgrades to a warning at 8 a.m. Friday. Overnight, around a foot of inundation above ground level is possible in vulnerable areas near the waterfront and shoreline.

AccuWeather reports the winter weather across the nation has resulted in over 2,000 flight cancellationsas of Thursday afternoon.

Friday

For Orange and Rockland counties, a wind advisory goes into effect from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

For southern Westchester, a coastal flood warning goes into effect at 8 a.m. One to two and a half feet, locally three feet of inundation above ground level is expected in vulnerable areas near the waterfront and shoreline.

For Dutchess, a flood watch will be in effect from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. Saturday.

Moderate to heavy rain combined with snowmelt is expected to lead to minor to moderate flooding on creeks, streams and rivers including:

• Mettawee River
• Walloomsac River
• Hoosic River
• Housatonic River
• Rondout Creek
• Esopus Creek
• Schoharie Creek
• Hudson River

Localized urban and poor drainage flooding is also possible during the day Friday.

SEE:

• Hudson Valley Storm: Rain, Snow, Flooding, Gusty Winds, Flash Freeze
• Southeast Town Offices Will Close Early Friday
• New Rochelle Schools Announce Friday Early Dismissals Ahead Of Storm
• Croton Officials Warn Of Possible Storm Surge At Train Station
• Pelham Schools To Dismiss Early Friday

A State of Emergency has been issued for all of New York. Heavy rain and snow, strong winds, coastal and lakeshore flooding and flash freezing are all possible in various regions across the state throughout the holiday weekend. In addition, lake effect snow is expected to affect areas along Lakes Erie and Ontario beginning Friday night and continuing into Monday with total snow accumulations forecast to reach up to three feet.

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The holiday storm causing havoc across the country is expected to bring a wintry mix, heavy rain, damaging winds, flooding, thunderstorms and a temperature roller coaster to the Hudson Valley.

A coastal flood warning has been issued for southern Westchester County, one of several aspects of the storm system about to hit the Hudson Valley that changed overnight.

The storm looks to hit earlier than expected, the folks at Hudson Valley Weather said. That could lead to freezing rain and icy surfaces west of the river Thursday in Orange and Ulster counties before temperatures rise (temporarily).

Hudson River communities could see tidal flooding in low-lying areas. The village of Piermont, for example, is preparing for a high storm tide Friday morning of up to 5 feet, which could flood some houses and close some streets, News 12 reported.

The heaviest rain is expected from 7 p.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday.

"Some of the heaviest rainfall looks to occur over the locations that received 10-20” of high moisture content snowfall last week," said Alex Marra of Hudson Valley Weather. "The creeks, streams and rivers impacted by the watershed of the Catskills should be prepared for the potential for sharp river rises and potential flooding."

Next, there could be a brief period of damaging southerly winds of 40 mph with gusts to 60 mph with a narrow line of heavy showers and embedded thunderstorms on Friday morning ahead of the cold front.

Then an Arctic front will come in from the west. Air temperatures will rapidly drop below freezing in the midafternoon to early evening. Road temps would likely lag by 1 to 2 hours, the NWS said.

That's when the localized flash freeze threat is greatest.

"Any rain or wet snow that falls on Friday is at risk of rapidly freezing, which will threaten treacherous conditions for traveling and walking," said Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist.

After that it's going to get really, really cold.

The potential for black ice is greatest on bridges and elevated surfaces.

Toward the end, some snow flurries are also possible. The NWS predicts a dusting for much of the Hudson Valley.

Metro-North Railroad officials warned customers that the special schedule over Christmas weekend could be disrupted by the severity of the weather. Check in with the TrainTime app or mta.info before heading out.

Utility companies readied storm crews and equipment, as did governmental agencies.

"We expect this weather system to create hazardous travel conditions throughout the state starting Friday," said Gov. Kathy Hochul in an announcement about emergency responses to the storm. "Our State agencies are well coordinated for this response and we are preparing assets and personnel for deployments to impacted regions, if necessary."

The storm is massive and quirky — on Tuesday, there was snow in Alabama and rain in Canada. Plus, in its wake, lake effect snow is expected from Friday through Monday, causing travel concerns for anyone headed upstate over the holiday weekend.

"Even though the worst conditions from the storm will be in the Midwest, major airline delays and a large number of flight cancellations are likely at the major travel hubs and regional airports in the Northeast and throughout the nation," Sosnowski said.

Temperatures may not get back above freezing until Wednesday of next week, said Alex Marra of Hudson Valley Weather. "Icy conditions and frozen runoff will persist through the weekend into early next week."