NYC Blizzard 2016: Travel Ban, Subway Closure, State of Emergency, 3 Storm-Related Deaths: LATEST DETAILS

NOTE: We’ll be updating this story all week with the latest predictions on the storm. Check back anytime to stay up-to-date, or sign up here to receive email updates on the storm’s progress.

New York City was hit with close to two feet of snow on Saturday and the NWS predicts new snow accumulation of three to seven inches overnight as a powerful blizzard slammed the region Saturday, shutting down roads and public transit.

A blizzard warning is in effect until 7 a.m. Another several inches of snow is expected to fall Saturday night before the precipitation tapers off early Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Snow totals are predicted to be between 24-30 inches in New York City.

There have been three storm-related deaths in the city, one on Staten Island and two in Queens.

A travel ban was issued Saturday that prohibited all non-emergency vehicles from being on the roads will be lifted at 7 a.m. Sunday.

“The storm has tapered off somewhat,” Cuomo posted on his Twitter account Saturday night. “There are bursts of flurries, but the travel ban gave the emergency crews chance to work on the roads.”

MTA buses and above ground subway service remains shut down. Crews will make an assessment of conditions at 7 a.m. Sunday morning.

UPDATE: Jan. 23, 2016, 1:15 p.m.: All elevated subway lines are suspended as of 4 p.m. The MTA advises customers to stay at home during the storm.

The Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North will also be suspended starting at 4 p.m.

Meanwhile, all non-emergency travel is banned on NYC roads starting at 2:30 p.m. until further notice.

According to the NYPD, there have been three storm-related deaths in the city.

UPDATE: Jan. 23, 2016:

An “intense snow band” has developed across the region and will dump 1 to 3 inches of snow per hour Saturday morning on New York City, according to a special weather statement issued by the National Weather Service. The forecast calls for 24-30 inches of snow in the city.

A blizzard warning is in effect until 7 a.m. Sunday.

A hazardous travel advisory is in effect for Saturday and Sunday. Mayor Bill de Blasio urged residents to stay off the roads saying the city was considering a full travel ban if necessary. According to ABC-NY, the travel ban would not extend to public transit and the subway is expected to continue operating as normal.

So far the NYPD has responded to 200 accidents and towed 80 vehicles.

Travel is not recommended this morning (or really at any point today) due to whiteout conditions as the snow is blown around by northeast winds of 25-35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph, the special weather statement reads. Many roads will likely become impassable due to rapidly accumulating and drifting snow.

Snow totals in New York City ranged from 6 inches in Central Park to anywhere between 8-9 inches in Brooklyn, according to the National Weather Service.

The MTA has suspended all bus service effective from 12 p.m. until further notice. Subways are running on a weekend schedule but curtailed service is a possibility as the storm develops. Almost all flight operations at LaGuardia and JFK have been cancelled.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for New York City on Saturday morning.

Speaking on WABC7, Cuomo said the weather is very bad and is going to get worse.

RELATED: NYC Snow Storm Prep: A Survival Guide for 2016

Declaring a state of emergency gives the governor additional power in arranging for emergency services and closing roads, bridges and public transportation.

However, he warned New Yorkers that if the situation deteriorates he may have to shut down roads or change the train schedule.

“That is our last recourse,” Cuomo said. “People should consider that before they even think about going out today.”

-------------------------------------

Winter’s first big Nor’easter has the potential to dump 18 inches of snow on New York City and flood the city’s coastline this weekend, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Early Friday morning, the NWS issued a “blizzard warning” and a “coastal flood warning” for the entire metropolitan area, lasting from Saturday morning through Sunday afternoon.

“Heavy snow along with strong and potentially damaging winds” could cause “blowing and drifting snow with near zero visibilities” and make travel “extremely dangerous” during that time, the NWS said — especially on Saturday afternoon and evening. “Secondary and tertiary roads may become impassible. Strong winds may down power lines and tree limbs.”

NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio has since warned the city of a “winter weather emergency” on Saturday.

NWS forecasters are predicting that between 12 and 18 inches of snow will likely build up in NYC between Friday evening and Sunday morning. However, they said there’s a chance that a maximum of 25 inches of snow could accumulate by Sunday afternoon.

AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski predicted that NYC “will receive enough snow to shovel and plow.”

(Here are some tips on preparing for the incoming storm.)

The NWS’ coastal flood warning will be in effect from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday morning, then again from 5 p.m. to midnight.

Tides along NYC coastlines are predicted to rise 2 to 3 feet above their usual levels during the Saturday-morning high tide cycle, and 3 to 4 feet above their usual levels during the evening’s high tide.

The NWS warned of “widespread flooding of vulnerable shore roads and/or properties due to height of storm tide and/or wave action” and said that along NYC’s beachfront, “isolated structural damage may be observed and lives may be at risk for people who put themselves in harm’s way.”

During the storm, northeast winds are expected to blow at 25 to 35 mph — with some gusts up to 50 mph — and visibility is expected to be under a quarter mile.

Below you’ll find the most up-to-date storm forecast from the NWS.

Friday Night: Snow, mainly after 8pm. Low around 26. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. Blustery, with a northeast wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 19 to 24 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Saturday: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Areas of blowing snow. High near 31. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Windy, with a northeast wind 30 to 34 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 5 to 9 inches possible.

Saturday Night: Snow, mainly before 2am. Low around 24. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Windy, with a northeast wind 26 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

Sunday: Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 36. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. Breezy, with a northwest wind 14 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. West wind 7 to 10 mph.

Regardless of how much snow falls in NYC, coastal flooding could be a serious issue.

Slate’s in-house weather reporter, Eric Holthaus, wrote Thursday that predicted snowfall paired with predicted flooding could create an “epic blizzard” that would “rival an East Coast hurricane landfall.”

Later, on Friday afternoon, Holthaus wrote:

A very sharp snowfall cutoff is expected to set up right over the New York City area, with anywhere from 2 to 20 inches of snow possible, depending on a currently unknowable 50 mile north or south shift in the storm track. At the coasts, strong winds, up to nearly hurricane force, will batter beaches with 20-foot waves for three high tide cycles, prompting concern for severe beach erosion and major coastal flooding from Maryland to Massachusetts.

The snow should start by about midnight on Friday night and continue through noon on Sunday—that’s about all we know for sure, even at this late stage. Here’s why: A tremendously sharp cutoff of snowfall will set up right over the city. So, for example, one weather model on Thursday showed two inches in the Bronx and 20 inches in Princeton, NJ, just 60 miles away. Since that cutoff could easily shift north or south a bit, it’ll be an hour-by-hour forecast throughout the event to figure out what scenario is most likely.

As of now, the “bullseye” of the storm seems to be targeting Washington, D.C.

In the D.C. area, the NWS is warning of “life-threatening conditions” including more than two feet of snow — accumulating at a rate of up to three inches per hour — and wind gusts to 60 mph, according to Holthaus.

“Crews may not be able to keep up with the storm in portions of Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity said. “Some communities could be isolated for a few days.”

Image Credit: Marc Torrence