Nor’easter is expected to hit upstate New York with up to 18 inches of snow, New York City is likely to miss the brunt of the storm

A developing northeast storm will dump 12 to 18 inches of snow across central and eastern New York Monday through Wednesday, while sparing the New York City area most of the time, forecasters said.

The storm will bring its characteristic strong winds, wet snow and torrential rain to the entire New England region, the National Weather Service said.

“Heavy snow rates (up to 2 inches per hour possible) and strong easterly northeasterly winds will likely make travel dangerous or near impossible,” the NWS said in an update on Sunday. “The very wet nature of the snow could lead to scattered or widespread power outages and damage to trees.”

New York City is likely to avoid the worst of the storm. While meteorologists predict up to 16 inches of snow in Albanycentral park is unlikely to see more than an inch.

The nor’easters are also known for their coastal flooding, so while the five boroughs aren’t expected to see much snow, a coastal flood watch has been issued for southern Queens effective Sunday night and running through Tuesday. at night. The advisory also extends to southern Nassau County.

“In addition, the system may produce higher localized snowfall amounts for parts of the Catskills in New York, the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, and the southern Green Mountains in Vermont,” the NWS said.

Governor Hochul advised residents in the Capital Region, Central New York, Mid-Hudson, Mohawk Valley and the North Country to protect themselves, although they stopped short of declaring a state of emergency.

“Anyone in the regions that will be affected by the storm should prepare for two to three days of snowfall and hazardous travel conditions,” the governor said in a statement.

Storms are notoriously difficult to forecast, and small differences in pressure and temperature can lead to significant differences in snowfall or precipitation.

“There is still some uncertainty at this point about the exact path the storm will take and how much cooling will occur after the precipitation begins,” the NWS said in a Sunday afternoon update.

Despite the unpredictability of the storm, the state emergency department reorganized some teams and moved 10 sweeper operators from the Southern Tier to the Capital Region and six more from the Southern Tier to Central New York. Hundreds of snowplows are available across the state, according to the emergency department.

New England was recently hit by a northeasterly storm in late January 2022. During that storm, Massachusetts bore the brunt of the impact of the snow, while New York City made do with freezing temperatures.