NEW YORK (WBCS 880) — A blast of snow moved across the Tri-State Wednesday afternoon just before temperatures began to take a dramatic plunge.
A snow squall hit New York City at around 3:30 p.m. and was over just 30 minutes later, moving north into Connecticut. The fast moving snow shower struck just as commuters began heading to their cars and almost instantly created a mess on the roads, as WCBS 880's chief meteorologist Craig Allen warned.
The city released 700 salt spreaders to work the roads ahead of the snow squall, attempting to prevent icy conditions, but Mayor Bill de Blasio cautioned New Yorkers not to take any risks.
"Word of the day here is, for the rest of this day, if you can use mass transit, please do. Obviously, if you don't need to go out, that's ideal— but if you do need to go out, you need to move around, use mass transit," de Blasio said.
The mayor warned that it won't just be the snow squall locals have to worry about. Temperatures are expected to drop near zero during the overnight. Wind chills across the area will also descend to as low as 25 below. Code blue is in effect, meaning outreach teams will be searching the streets for the homeless.
New York City public schools will be open on Thursday as the polar vortex continues. The high will reach just 16 degrees in New York City and wind chills will be dangerously cold at 10 to 20 below.
Additionally, broken rails can be a major problem and it's very likely to happen in the dreadfully cold temperatures. However, a Long Island Railroad spokesperson says crews will be able to respond quickly in any other weather conditions.
The cold weather will begin to move out of the area during the weekend as it warms into the low 20s on Friday. Temperatures will continue to rise this weekend and the high will be 34 on Saturday and 43 on Sunday.
