Hudson Valley Under Winter Storm Advisories: Update

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The National Weather Service downgraded its winter storm watches to advisories but upped its estimate for total snow accumulation from the long-duration winter storm expected to descend on the region Thursday through Friday.

Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester counties are now under winter storm advisories.

For Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester, the advisory runs from 4 a.m. Thursday to 7 p.m. Friday. Snowfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches are expected Thursday, with snowfall totals of 5 to 9 inches by the end of the event on Friday, the NWS said at 3:55 p.m. Tuesday.

Dutchess and Ulster could see total snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches between noon Thursday and 4 p.m. Friday, the NWS said.

As the storm spreads from southwest to northeast on Thursday, travel conditions will become increasingly bad due to snow-covered roads and poor visibility.

Snow will start falling Thursday morning, becoming steadier in the afternoon, said Alex Marra and Bill Potter of Hudson Valley Weather in their preliminary storm forecast. Periods of snow are likely overnight and all day Friday.

However, there is still much uncertainty about this large and disorganized storm system, including its exact track. "The probability our final forecast will differ from our preliminary forecast, is quite high," said Hudson Valley Weather.

Instead of a wintry mix like the one we had Monday in the Hudson Valley, the snow that falls should be light and fluffy, the NWS said — unless the track shifts dramatically and the valley catches the wintry mix on the southern edge.

Just like the last one, this storm stretches a long way across the United States and is likely to hinder travel including flight operations at airport hubs, AccuWeather meteorologists warned.

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