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New Yorkers urged to prepare for "one of the largest snow storms"

Xinhua, January 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

New Yorkers are urged to prepare for a major snow storm as the National Weather Service on Sunday issued a blizzard watch for the greater New York City metropolitan area effective now through Tuesday night.

Speaking at a news conference Sunday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the Nor'easter has the potential to dump up to 3 feet of snow and could produce the record highest snow total for New York City in history.

The mayor held up a list of the city's top 10 snowstorms and said this one could land at the top of the list that goes back to 1872.

"We are facing most likely one of the largest snow storms in the history of this city," de Blasio said, telling residents to stay off roads in the next two days as possibly 2 feet up to three feet of snow is expected to blanket the city.

"This could be a storm the likes of which we have never seen before," the mayor said. "My message for New Yorkers is to prepare for something worse than we have ever seen before."

New York City public schools will be open Monday, the mayor said. But all after school activities and field trips are canceled.

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo also urged New Yorkers to prepare for blizzard conditions forecast to affect downstate areas early this week.

New Yorkers should plan in advance for major disruptions during Monday evening and Tuesday morning commutes, including the possibility of closed roads and delayed or canceled public transit routes, said Cuomo in a statement.

In addition, New Yorkers should prepare for possible utility outages due to high winds downing power lines and tree limbs, he added.

According to the governor, the State Emergency Operations Center in Albany will be staffed beginning Monday at noon, and staff will be on hand at State Emergency Operations Centers in Albany, Hawthorne and Hauppauge throughout the event to coordinate with all the affected counties and New York City.

State equipment ready for this storm includes at least 1,806 plows and more than 126,000 tons of salt divided across the region.

For the U.S. Northeast, the National Weather Service warned of a blizzard of potentially historic magnitude from Monday through Wednesday.

Heavy snowfall and strong winds are expected, with blizzard conditions possible along coastal areas from New Jersey to Massachusetts, said the National Weather Service, adding that blizzard warnings are in effect along the coast from central New Jersey to the Canadian border, including New York City.

People in the region are encouraged to closely monitor weather forecasts and advisories as the storm approaches the state. Endite