NYC Snow Forecast Downgraded for Wednesday (UPDATES)

The corner of Dekalb and Throop avenues in Bed-Stuy during the Jan. 23 blizzard. Photo courtesy of Ayesha Ware

UPDATE, Wednesday, Feb. 10: After some underwhelming snow flurries this week, the city is now preparing for record cold over Valentine’s Day weekend. Click here for all further updates.

Original story, posted Feb. 9, below.

NEW YORK CITY, NY — Government weather officials warned NYC residents Tuesday of incoming clouds and winds that could dump 1 to 2 inches of snow on the city and cause tides to swell up to 2-and-a-half feet higher than usual.

The National Weather Service (NWS) originally expected 3 to 5 inches of snow to hit all five boroughs sometime after 6 p.m. on Tuesday evening, then taper off by noon Wednesday.

But the NWS canceled its “winter weather advisory” late Tuesday night — predicting instead that “snowfall we receive tonight will generally be on the light side.”

A ”coastal flood advisory“ remained in effect between 8 p.m. and midnight Tuesday, then again between 7 a.m. and noon Wednesday. During those windows, onshore winds were expected to cause high tides to flood coastal areas of Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, Queens and Long Island.

The NWS warned of “minor flooding of the most vulnerable shore roads and/or properties due to height of storm time or wave splashover.”

Mayor Billl De Blasio issued a travel advisory warning of “slippery road conditions for the morning and evening commutes” on Wednesday.

“We’re urging New Yorkers to allow for extra travel time during your commute, drive slowly, and exercise caution when walking or biking,” De Blasio said. “We also urge coastal residents to take the necessary steps to protect their property.” (A full list of his suggested steps is included at the bottom of this post.)

Tuesday’s warnings came as areas of Queens and Brooklyn had barely emerged from unexpected floods the day before. “We found out, obviously, as it was happening,” Mayor Bill De Blasio said in an interview WNYC. ”It was not expected from the original reports.”

A resident of Broad Channel, Queens, told Gothamist he hadn’t seen flooding so severe since Superstorm Sandy.

And in southern Brooklyn, residential areas of Manhattan Beach, Sheepshead Bay and Coney Island took photos of small rivers flowing through the streets. Parts of Seagate and Brighton Beach flooded, too, according to the Mayor‘s Office.

Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, resident Katia Kelly also noted on her community blog Monday that the gunky waters of the Gowanus Canal came dangerously close to flooding the Lightstone Project, a luxury apartment building under construction along the canal’s shoreline. (“Perhaps... not the best place to bring more residents, especially given the warnings about Global Warming,” she wrote.)

Once this week’s snow flurries and coastal floods have passed, New Yorkers are in for the coldest temps of winter so far on Valentine’s Day weekend.

According to AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski: “During the weekend, much colder air will pour southward from eastern Canada. ... The combination of wind and cold will make for dangerous conditions for the homeless and those not properly dressed.”

NWS forecasters predicted Saturday’s high to be around 21 degrees, and said that Sunday — Valentine’s Day — wouldn’t get much warmer than 17 degrees.

Below, the full government forecast for NYC’s coming storm and cold spell.

Tuesday Night: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 31. Wind chill values between 25 and 30. Light and variable wind becoming north 5 to 7 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Wednesday: A chance of snow before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. Wind chill values between 25 and 30. Breezy, with a west wind 8 to 13 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday Night: A slight chance of snow after 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. West wind around 17 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday: A slight chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 31. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. Blustery, with a west wind 17 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 19. Northwest wind 10 to 17 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 29.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 21. Blustery.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 6. Blustery.

Sunday (Valentine’s Day): Sunny and cold, with a high near 17.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 15.

Monday: A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 37. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

And here are some tips, courtesy of the Mayor’s Office, on how coastal residents should prepare for high tide Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

• Prepare a Go Bag that you can grab in case you need to leave your home in a hurry.

• Learn the safest route from your home or workplace to safe, high ground in case you have to evacuate. This should be part of your household emergency plan.

• If you live in a flood-prone area, keep materials such as sandbags, plywood, plastic sheeting and lumber on hand to help protect your home.

• Stay informed. Before and during an emergency, the City will send emergency alerts and updates to New Yorkers through various channels, including Notify NYC. You can sign up for Notify NYC by visiting nyc.gov/NotifyNYC or following @NotifyNYC on Twitter.

• Stay out of any building if it is surrounded by floodwaters.

• When outside, avoid walking and driving through flooded areas. As few as six inches of moving water can knock a person over. Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing loss of control and possible stalling. One or two feet of water can carry away a vehicle.