Nor’easter urges New York Governor Hochul to declare an emergency and urges no travel on Tuesday

New York City was expected to drop about an inch of snow Tuesday as the northeasterly wind moves into the tri-state area and beyond.

Forecasters said the storm could bring feet of snow, wind gusts in excess of 55 mph and widespread power outages from Pennsylvania to New England by midweek.

Governor Hochul declared a state of emergency effective Monday night, activated the National Guard and urged New Yorkers to prepare, especially upstate.

Snow and rain were already falling Monday afternoon, with some areas slated to get two or more feet and coastal areas warned of potential flooding.

The heavy snow, combined with gusty winds, threatened widespread power outages and dangerous travel conditions, especially from Monday night to Wednesday morning, Hochul’s office said, adding that on Tuesday, visibility would be “extremely limited” and people should avoid unnecessary travel.

“this could be deadlyHochul warned at a storm briefing in Albany. “Let me repeat: this is going to be a dangerous storm. Please stay off the roads for your own safety.”

The state of emergency will begin at 8 p.m. Monday and will include restrictions on business travel along several interstate highways.

“The forecast snow totals for this winter storm continue to rise, and the weight of the snow combined with 45 mph wind gusts are certain to bring down tree limbs and power lines,” said Jackie Bray, Commissioner of the Division of National Security and State Emergencies. Services. “New Yorkers should plan for two to three straight days of hazardous winter weather starting tonight.”

Between 6 and 18 inches of snow was expected to blanket the ground from northeastern Pennsylvania and far northwestern New Jersey before moving across much of New York state and New England, according to the National Weather Service.

“The combination of high winds and snowfall of up to 2 to 3 inches per hour will create hazardous or impossible travel conditions through the day on Tuesday,” the NWS stated.

Connecticut also braced for impact.

Winter storm warnings have been issued for the northern part of the state, with rain expected to change to snow at higher elevations around midnight Monday. The state government warned of possible power outages and said 1 to 2 inches of snow per hour was expected to fall through Tuesday.

The state’s largest electricity provider, Eversource, anticipated up to 13,000 power outages and brought in additional equipment from out of state.

Southern Fairfield and New Haven counties were under an NWS coastal flood advisory, the agency said, as were areas of southern Long Island in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Also under a flood warning they were coastal areas of the Bronx, northern Nassau County, northern Queens, northwestern Suffolk, and southern Westchester.

Meanwhile, another atmospheric river was headed for California and the South and Southeast were under freeze warnings despite a record warm winter, the NWS said. A possible “hard freeze” was forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday morning from the Tennessee Valley into parts of the South and Southeast.

“Currently, frost warnings are in effect in these regions where recent above-average temperatures have hastened the spring growth cycle,” the NWS stated.

with cable news services