Latest Timing, Totals For Hudson Valley's 1st Winter Storm Of 2024

Editor's Note: A Sunday morning update is available here: HV Storm Update: Timing, Interim Town-by-Town Totals, Next Storm

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The first significant snow storm of the season is expected to overspread the region Saturday afternoon — and another powerful storm is not far behind bringing hazards of its own.

Snow will start falling from southwest to northeast around 4 p.m. Snowfall rates could reach an inch per hour at times Saturday evening into early Sunday morning. Hazardous travel conditions are expected due to snow-covered roads and poor visibilities.

Most of the Hudson Valley is under winter storm warnings from Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening. The Sound Shore is under a winter storm advisory and a coastal flood advisory for the Sunday morning high tide.

"As mentioned in our final forecast we will likely see a jackpot zone west of the Hudson River with some locations exceeding the 10" range on the higher end of the forecast," said Alex Marra of Hudson Valley Weather. "Across the higher elevations of the eastern Catskills, we will likely see some 12"+ amounts occur. On the flip side, areas west of the Catskill Mtn Range, and East of the Hudson River will see some down sloping and therefore some lower amounts. This will also be the case across southern Westchester and Rockland where we may see some light amounts due to mixing."

According to the NWS briefing Saturday morning:

• At the coast, light snow will transition to rain by about 10 p.m., possibly returning to light snow on Sunday.
• Just north of I-95, snow will be heavy at times Saturday afternoon but will lighten in intensity after midnight-2 a.m. and possibly mix with rain. The storm should transition back to light snow early Sun morning from the northwest to the southeast before ending Sunday afternoon.
• Further north, snow developing late Saturday afternoon will be heavy at times through 2 a.m., then lighten in intensity. Light snow will end Sunday afternoon.

Gusty east to northeast winds of 20-35 mph across higher elevations in addition to the snow load may cause downed trees and wires, the National Weather Service said.

The second significant storm is expected to hit Tuesday, with snow, rain and windy conditions. Moderate to heavy rainfall combined with snow melt could cause flooding.

NOAA's Weather Prediction Center has already posted an excessive rainfall risk rating for Tuesday night.

"Another SIGNIFICANT EVENT with FLASH FLOODING. It’s odd and very concerning to see this posted 5 days out from an event," Bruce Furbeck of First Due Weather said on Facebook.

Widespread minor to moderate river flooding is likely Tuesday night and Wednesday, particularly for the quick responding northeast New Jersey and Lower Hudson River basins. There is potential for major flooding along a few to several rivers if high end of rainfall forecasts realized, the National Weather Service said in its Saturday morning briefing about the first storm.

Significant rises are expected along large stem rivers with minor to moderate flood potential.

"In addition to the likelihood of heavy rain and flooding is the risk of damaging winds and regional power outages in the Northeast from the intense storm," said Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist. "Property owners and road crews may be able to help with flood control by keeping storm drains free from piles of snow during storm cleanup operations."

But first, here's the next 48 hours at a glance, based on Rockland County: