NYC 'Blizzard' Updates, Weather Forecast: What's Left Of Winter Storm Stella?

NEW YORK, NY — A harsh mix of snow, sleet and rain came down Tuesday across NYC as part of a highly unpredictable storm system that cancelled thousands of flights, snarled subway service and brought city life grinding to a near halt.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 UPDATE: Here's what to expect post-storm.

Heavy snowfall in the early morning hours Tuesday quickly changed to sleet, then became even wetter by midday. The precipitation was expected to turn back into light snow in the evening before letting up.

Scroll to the bottom of the page for an hour-by-hour forecast.

See also:

• Staten Island Ponies Detained By NYPD For Prancing Around In Snowstorm
  
• NYC Snow Totals, Borough By Borough
• Subway Changes During Winter Storm Stella
  
• Thousands Of Flights Cancelled Due To Storm

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said just after noon: “The worst of the storm has passed, and our snow accumulation totals have been downgraded. But it’s cold and windy, and we are urging New Yorkers to stay off of the roads to allow our Sanitation department to clear the roads.”

Lingering dangers include afternoon winds between 35 mph and 50 mph, as well as "locally moderate flooding along the most vulnerable coastlines and shore roads," the mayor's office said.

"The combination of rain and melting snow, in addition to storm drains covered by accumulations from earlier snowfall, will result in minor flooding across poor drainage areas," de Blasio's office said. "New Yorkers should not drive vehicles into areas where water covers roadways."

Federal weather officials said 4 to 8 inches of snow fell Tuesday at various measuring sites across NYC.

All schools and public libraries remain closed Tuesday across the city, but will reopen Wednesday per usual.
Here is the latest on flight cancellations for JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports. And here is the latest on subway, bus and other MTA service changes during the storm.

The city's alternate side parking rules will still be suspended on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Trash, recycling and organics collection will also be suspended on both days.

The East River Ferry, the Seastreak Ferry and Citi Bike remain shut down "until further notice," the mayor said around noon Tuesday.

In the days leading up to the storm, federal weather forecasters had predicted 12 to 24 inches of snow for NYC — causing the city to go into full-on hunker-down mode. But weather officials hit the brakes on their higher-end snow estimates early Tuesday morning, instead began calling for 6 to 8 inches of snow in Manhattan and 4 to 6 inches across the rest of the city.

A rapid shift in the storm's track caused "a quicker and farther north transition to mixed precipitation and rain," putting NYC right on the split between rain and snow, according to the National Weather Service.

On the west side of Manhattan, fluffy, white snow coated the borough's sidewalks Tuesday morning, while Brooklyn and Queens were pounded with rain and sleet.

However, most of the city's precipitation had turned to sleet by noontime.

There were also reports of "thundersnow" and lightning in Manhattan:

Snowfall varied heavily by location Tuesday. By 8 a.m., around 4 inches of snow had been recorded in Central Park, 5 inches in Hell's Kitchen, 6 inches at LaGuardia Airport and 4 inches at JFK Airport.

"Just because it's not as bad as predicted in terms of snowfall doesn't mean it's good," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. "It is dangerous. The roads are dangerous."

The National Weather Service had predicted Monday morning that "falling and blowing snow with strong winds and poor visibilities are likely. This will lead to whiteout conditions making travel extremely dangerous. Do not travel. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle."

Meanwhile, NYC's Department of Sanitation issued a "snow alert" beginning 11 p.m. Monday — meaning 689 salt spreaders and 1,600 snow plows were at the ready — and the Office of Emergency Management issued a "hazardous travel advisory" for all of Tuesday.

"For many areas in the Northeast, this will likely be the biggest and most impactful storm of the winter," AccuWeather reported over the weekend.

"This amount of snow over such a broad, heavily populated area could bring travel to a standstill as snow clogs streets and highways and heavy snow and wind trigger airline delays and flight cancellations," the weather site said.

Here's an up-to-date hourly forecast for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, with data provided by darksky.net:

March 14 Hourly Forecast for New York City

Snow (under 1 in.) until this evening, starting again tomorrow afternoon.

5pm - Light Snow, 31°

Chance of snow: 30%. Wind 18 mph from the NW.

6pm - Light Snow, 32°

Chance of snow: 33%. Wind 18 mph from the NW.

7pm - Light Snow, 31°

Chance of snow: 18%. Wind 16 mph from the WNW.

8pm - Flurries, 31°

Chance of snow: 10%. Wind 15 mph from the WNW.

9pm - Flurries, 31°

Chance of snow: 4%. Wind 14 mph from the WNW.

10pm - Mostly Cloudy, 30°

Chance of precipitation: 0%. Wind 16 mph from the W.

11pm - Partly Cloudy, 28°

Chance of precipitation: 0%. Wind 16 mph from the W.

12am - Partly Cloudy, 26°

Chance of precipitation: 0%. Wind 15 mph from the W.

1am - Partly Cloudy, 24°

Chance of precipitation: 0%. Wind 13 mph from the W.

2am - Partly Cloudy, 22°

Chance of precipitation: 0%. Wind 13 mph from the W.

3am - Partly Cloudy, 21°

Chance of precipitation: 0%. Wind 12 mph from the W.

4am - Partly Cloudy, 21°

Chance of precipitation: 0%. Wind 11 mph from the W.

5am - Partly Cloudy, 21°

Chance of precipitation: 0%. Wind 12 mph from the W.

6am - Mostly Cloudy, 22°

Chance of precipitation: 0%. Wind 12 mph from the W.

7am - Mostly Cloudy, 23°

Chance of precipitation: 0%. Wind 12 mph from the W.

8am - Mostly Cloudy, 23°

Chance of precipitation: 0%. Wind 13 mph from the W.

9am - Mostly Cloudy, 24°

Chance of precipitation: 0%. Wind 13 mph from the W.

10am - Mostly Cloudy, 23°

Chance of precipitation: 0%. Wind 15 mph from the W.

11am - Mostly Cloudy, 24°

Chance of snow: 1%. Wind 16 mph from the W.

12pm - Flurries, 26°

Chance of snow: 3%. Wind 17 mph from the W.

1pm - Light Snow, 28°

Chance of snow: 8%. Wind 16 mph from the W.

2pm - Light Snow, 31°

Chance of snow: 12%. Wind 17 mph from the W.

3pm - Light Snow, 32°

Chance of snow: 17%. Wind 16 mph from the W.

Lead photo by Todd Richissin/Patch