Snowy Week For Hudson Valley: An Inch Monday, A Foot Wednesday

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The mix of rain and snow that fell across the Hudson Valley Monday morning is just the opening act for a midweek storm that could drop 6 inches to 2 feet of snow on the region.

Snow Monday should be the steadiest south of Interstate 84, said the forecasters at Hudson Valley Weather. They don't rule out up to 3 inches of slush in the south and a dusting to an inch in the north.

Backroads could get icy, they warn, before the precipitation tapers off around sunset.

Looking ahead to Wednesday, the National Weather Service updated its hazardous outlook early Monday.

"There is increasing potential for a significant winter storm Wednesday afternoon into Thursday morning with heavy snow and strong winds," the weather service said.

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This storm could surpass the entirety of last winter’s snowfall totals for major cities such as New York City in one fell swoop, said Jake Sojda, an AccuWeather meteorologist.

"The sizable storm will have a wide coverage area, with snow expected to fall from southern Illinois to Atlantic Canada and cover major thoroughfares including Interstate 95," Sojda said.

However, the National Weather Service still has not made an accumulation prediction.

In his midnight "fireside chat," Bill Potter of Hudson Valley Weather said cold temperatures will precede the midweek storm.

"Sunday afternoon was mid-50s, Tuesday afternoon could feel like mid-20s," he said.

In terms of snowfall, the level of uncertainty is still high for Wednesday, Potter said. While some models show a strong storm crossing the Hudson Valley, others show it weaker and to the south. If the latter happens, the mid-Hudson won't get much, if any, snow. If the former happens, the heaviest snow could come down at 1-2 inches an hour or more. Where the air is colder, accumulation would be higher because the snow is drier and fluffier.

"The question is how far north does it get before it turns east," he said.

The lower Hudson Valley is most likely to get the brunt of the storm, Potter said.

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