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A winter storm is bringing sleet, freezing rain and snow to New York City Friday — with forecasters warning of treacherous commutes.
Dangerous and icy travel conditions were expected on roads throughout the day as a low-pressure system and cold front moved through, the National Weather Service warned.
The service issued a winter weather advisory for the Big Apple from 8 a.m to 7 p.m., with freezing rain and sleet expected in the morning before tapering off towards the evening.
A total ice accumulation of up to one 10th of an inch was possible, the weather service said.
As a result of the heavy rain and sleet forecast for the morning and evening commutes, the New York City Emergency Management Department issued a travel advisory through Saturday morning.
Any areas with standing water from the forecast rain were expected to freeze over, creating icy conditions on the road into Saturday, the NYC Emergency Management bulletin said.
“We are still in the midst of the winter season, and this latest weather event will bring freezing rain and a wintry mix to our area this week,” the emergency management acting Commissioner Christina Farrell said.
“Freezing rain will impact the morning and evening commute, and we encourage New Yorkers to make adjustments to their travel plans,”
The city’s sanitation department pre-deployed salt to roadways on Thursday in anticipation of any snow — and planned to dispatch plows if more than two inches of snow accumulates.
“We are expecting fast-changing conditions on Friday, as temperatures drop rapidly,” Department of Sanitation commissioner Edward Grayson said.
“Even after last week’s foot of snow, DSNY is ready to go, and asks all New Yorkers to stay off the roads and give space for our teams to spread salt and do the rest of their important work getting the city moving.”
Ice accumulations and freezing rain were also expected to be a major hazard in upstate New York through Friday.
The National Weather Service warned that sleet in the Albany region had “been prolific” by the morning.
“We continue to see an icy mix of sleet, freezing rain, and/or snow between roughly I-90 and Poughkeepsie,” the service said.
“Expect a transition to snow later on as additional cold air allows for the wintry mix and snow lines to shift southward.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul told commuters Friday to avoid road travel if possible.
“We’re seeing significant amounts of freezing rain and ice accumulation in the Hudson Valley and Capital Region this morning due to the winter storm,” she tweeted.
“Commuters – if you don’t have to drive this morning, please avoid travel so our crews can keep roads safe.”
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