There’s no school in New York City and many places around the tri-state area on Wednesday, as a spring snowstorm slams us.
It’s the fourth nor’easter in March. Snowfall is expected to be 8-to-12 inches for most of the area, but some spots could see upwards of 16 inches.
“This is a storm that is gonna start slow but pickup very quickly. We want everyone to be aware of that,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
De Blasio said the snow could fall at a rate of 1-to-2 inches per hour, possibly even 3 inches per hour at the height of the storm.
“I hope that everyone will, if they are traveling by car (on Wednesday), take precautions. Realize that it takes longer to stop and if they can to take mass transit. So I hope that we do not end up with as much accumulation as some have predicted, but we will be prepared nonetheless,” Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said.
The Sanitation Department has 693 salt spreaders, 1,600 plows and 220,000 tons of salt ready to go. Sanitation workers are working 12-hour shifts.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has declared a state of emergency. State offices are closed and he’s urging people to stay home.
“Please do not head out into the snow unless you absolutely have to. Please give the local, county and state crews the chance to work unimpeded to get our roads and highways clear,” Murphy said.
There are concerns that the heavy snow could bring down trees and power lines, leading to widespread outages. The utility companies have brought in extra workers to improve restoration efforts. Earlier this month, thousands of customers were left in the dark for days after a nor'easter.
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