Winter Storm Wreaking Holiday Havoc Will Hit Hudson Valley

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — A huge winter storm hitting most of the country may not bring snow to our region for Christmas, but it has the potential to be "very disruptive, with impacts that may linger into the holiday weekend," said the folks at Hudson Valley Weather (and they don't make such claims lightly).

HVW's biggest concern at the moment for the region: scattered flooding, damaging winds and a flash freeze as bitter cold air swoops from Canada to Texas and heavy snow falls across the Midwest and Great Lakes.

"The strong winds could lead to potential power outages from the Midwest to the Northeast," said the National Weather Service.

The window for flooding is short. The storm will bring periods of rain to the Hudson Valley Thursday night and Friday.

The heaviest rain will likely be on Friday, and may be associated with a surge of warm air and strong, gusty winds, the NWS said.

In the hazardous outlook issued for Dutchess and Ulster counties, the NWS pointed out the snow pack is significant over higher elevations from last week's storm, with water equivalent values of 1 to 3 inches, so snow melt on Friday — along with the potential for an inch or more of rain — could cause local rivers and streams to rise.

For Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester, the biggest hazard is damaging wind.

Much colder air will blow in quickly on Friday night, putting an abrupt end to the thaw, freezing any standing water, and bringing the potential of downed trees and power lines. Wind chill values could be as low as 0 degrees F, the NWS said.

"Roads will dry off in most cases in the I-95 corridor," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said. "However, some patches of ice are likely as temperatures plummet."

Bad weather will snarl travel in one of the busiest weeks of the year.

"Two-thirds of the nation’s flights are likely to be impacted by the major storm on Thursday and Friday," said Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist. "Several major hubs, including Chicago, Detroit and New York City, are all in the path of the storm and face significant disruptions. Ripple-effect delays from affected aircraft and crews will be felt across the nation.

"AccuWeather meteorologists strongly urge people to run errands and travel ahead of the storm, if possible," Sosnowski said. "Conditions will be more favorable in much of the central U.S. into Tuesday and in much of the East through Wednesday."

Here's the current NWS forecast based on northern Westchester:

• Today - Sunny. Highs in the upper 30s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
• Tonight - Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 20s. North winds around 5 mph.
• Wednesday - Sunny. Highs in the upper 30s. Northwest winds around 5 mph.
• Wednesday Night - Mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 20s. Northeast winds around 5 mph.
• Thursday - Cloudy. A slight chance of rain in the morning, then rain likely in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 40s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Gusts up to 20 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 60 percent.
• Thursday Night - Rain. Not as cool with lows in the lower 40s. Chance of rain near 100 percent.
• Friday - Rain, breezy with highs in the upper 50s. Temperature falling into the lower 40s in the afternoon. Chance of rain near 100 percent.
• Friday Night - Partly cloudy. Much cooler with lows around 15. Wind chill values as low as zero.
• Saturday - Mostly sunny. Much colder with highs in the lower 20s.
• Saturday Night - Mostly clear. Cold with lows around 10 above. Wind chill values as low as zero.
• Christmas Day - Sunny, cold with highs in the mid 20s. Wind chill values as low as zero in the morning.
• Sunday Night - Mostly clear. Lows 10 to 15.